Chalmers' Blog

October 1, 2024

I continue to consider myself fortunate in a big way to be able to work with so many talented leaders and teams, both in my Vistage workshops around the country as well as more in-depth work inside organizations via my 6-month SOAR Program. I am constantly challenged and inspired by the conversations that surface and by the accomplishments and contributions of so many of my clients.

September 30, 2023

In our era of “big data”, I’ve been thinking about the differences between and the relationships among what we call data, information, knowledge and wisdom. Happy to share some thoughts with you and also to invite you to do a similar reflection and share back with me what you come up with!

September 19, 2022

“In between stimulus and response, there is a space…” When I hear that phrase, I (perhaps like many of you) am drawn instantly to Viktor Frankl’s powerful book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” In it, the Austrian psychiatrist, philosopher and Nazi concentration camp survivor pointedly tells us: “In between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our capacity to choose our response. And in our response lies our growth and our freedom.”...

July 1, 2022

In this newsletter, I share with you the “Big 3” dimensions highlighted by the BCG article, and include ways that certain specific distinctions, tools and “ways of seeing things” from my work can be used to support you in more effectively bringing forth your own version of Generative Leadership.

June 28, 2021

Does trust have anything to do with organizational success? In my experience, the answer is a resounding Yes – because trust is directly connected to success in relationships of all types, professional as well as personal. Trust is simply required in order for 2 or more people to coordinate action – to do anything – together. And organizations, at their most basic level, may be seen as human beings coordinating action to produce some desired result.

February 2, 2021

CONFIDENCE VS. COMPETENCE? “You need to be more confident in front of the room.”; “Jim is so effective in his role because he is so confident in what he’s doing.”; “I need more confidence in order to be successful in this job.”; “I have a lack of self-confidence… that’s why I can’t do X or Y…”;(“… but where can I get more confidence? How can I become more confident? Why aren’t I already confident?...”) Do these sound familiar? For many of us, they do...

December 28, 2020

I'm pleased to share with you several time-tested ways of understanding ourselves and relating to others that, taken collectively, can serve as a wonderful foundation for achieving a solid balance of peacefulness and productivity – or what we may call sustainable happiness, success or fulfillment – in our lives...

December 21, 2020

As we come to the end of 2020 and look ahead to 2021, many of us will be assessing the ground we covered this year and setting 2021 goals for ourselves, our teams and our organizations. This newsletter is intended to support you in this regard, but not by way of offering definitions of “SMART” goals or sharing sample goals set by others. Instead, the invitation is to look a bit deeper and perhaps a bit differently at the “mechanics” of goal-setting, the power of declarations to establish a personal context for how we live our lives, the benefits of self-disclosure, and the power of enrolling others in a “network of support” moving forward...

November 11, 2020

Crucial Competencies for Leadership, Healthy Relationships & Personal Development. Folks who have traveled to London and have used their train system have undoubtedly seen the signs that read “Mind the Gap” to remind travelers to use caution when stepping from the landing through the open train door, and vice versa...

December 20, 2018

Stephen Covey’s groundbreaking best-seller “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerfu lLessons in Personal Change”, first published in 1989, was one of the very first books that outlined the importance of emotional and relational competencies for both personal and professional success...

January 23, 2018

I am privileged to have the opportunity to meet and speak to thousands of CEO’s, executives and business owners every year. Through these encounters, I’ve come to understand “up close and personally” the challenges that leaders face, both professionally and personally, as they work to build enduring success and fulfillment in their organizations and in their family lives...

August 30, 2017

Chalmers Brothers, Author, Professional Consultant, Certified Personal Coach & Seminar Leader on Newfield Network Podcast

August 20, 2017

In the classic bestseller Good to Great, Jim Collins calls it “confronting the brutal facts” – that is, the ability of successful leadership teams to open themselves up to and accept how things actually are right now… as opposed to how they might like them to be. I agree wholeheartedly that it’s a necessary starting point for effectively bringing about desired changes...

August 16, 2017

In my work, I have the privilege of working with thousands of successful, highly motivated, ethical and well-rounded leaders every year. One of the most important issues we cover, no matter what the industry or type of organization, is context. Why? Simply put: Because if you’re not able to purposefully create and sustain one context and not another, your ability to be successful and fulfilled – and sustain that success or fulfillment – diminishes dramatically....

August 15, 2017

In my work, I have the privilege of working with thousands of successful, highly motivated, ethical and well-rounded leaders every year. One of the most important issues we cover, no matter what the industry or type of organization, is context. Why? Simply put: Because if you’re not able to purposefully create and sustain one context and not another, your ability to be successful and fulfilled – and sustain that success or fulfillment – diminishes dramatically...

August 14, 2017

We began this series with an invitation to think about context in 3 dimensions: for yourself, as an individual, as you live your life, for your most important conversations and relationships, for your organization as a whole...

March 5, 2013

We have all been teachers and learners in our lives. Based on your experience, what would you say are some pre-requisites for learning, regardless of whether we're learning to ride a bike or learning to run a company? I ask this question in leadership development …

October 11, 2012

An outline of key steps – inadvertently taken by leaders – that have the predictable effect of damaging corporate culture and productivity.  Based on the work of Chris Argyris and others, this summary of a key organizational dysfunction provides a clear …

October 4, 2012

A helpful summary of the impact and importance of public identity for leaders, as well as practical steps to take in order to gain a more thorough and accurate understanding of how they are “showing up.” Leadership qualities important for success in virtually …

September 20, 2012

A description of the ways our paradigms – our ways of believing and seeing things – can dramatically impact our ability to embrace new possibilities and take advantage of new opportunities. Especially relevant for leaders seeking to create a corporate …

September 16, 2012

“You need to be more confident in front of the room.” “Jim is so effective in his role because he is so confident in what he’s doing.” “I need more confidence in order to be successful in this job.” “I have a lack of self-confidence.” Do these sound familiar? …

September 13, 2012

A distinction that is essential for healthy relationship building, as well as avoiding needless “drama” and unnecessary problems in our interactions with others.  Because we human beings do virtually everything we do in community with others (family, work, …

September 9, 2012

Imagine you’re in a workshop of one sort or another, and the facilitator in front of the room asks: “OK, anyone here who considers him- or herself a difficult person… please raise your hand!” How many hands are going up? You guessed it… in virtually every case, …

September 6, 2012

A key distinction that dramatically impacts how we see the world, how we make and sustain relationships, as well as our ability to lead, manage and work well with others. Most of us have an intuitive understanding of the difference between biology and …

September 3, 2012

We human beings “live in language.”  That is, we all have a little voice inside and for many of us, the little voice is rarely – if ever – silent!  This internal conversation has immense impact, obviously, on the quality of our lives, in a number of different …

August 30, 2012

A distinction that lies at the heart of how we human beings operate, and that impacts our actions, interactions and results in virtually every aspect of our lives. Being more conscious of this phenomena within ourselves opens the door to a new source of …

August 23, 2012

A new way of understanding the basics of organizational performance that enables leaders to effectively intervene in order to improve two types of Results: 1) Objective results – productivity, profitability, and 2) Subjective results – workplace environment, …

August 16, 2012

A powerful shift in emphasis and focus away from managing time and toward managing our commitments.  We cannot truly manage time… we all have the same amount of it, and it goes on and on, no matter what we do! We can, however, manage our commitments.  …

August 12, 2012

Two of the defining characteristics of 21st century life, for many of us, are: An ongoing sense of being “busy” all the time, and Far greater choices in many areas of our lives. Is this your experience? Are you constantly busy, running from here to there, …

August 9, 2012

A powerful way of understanding how our reactions to broken promises and unfulfilled commitments can create very positive – or very negative – impacts within organizations and relationships.  Virtually all of us have been in situations in which promises …

August 5, 2012

I recently came across a distinction that I immediately found to be helpful in looking at leadership skills, leadership styles and the conversations required for exceptional organizational performance.  In the book The Advantage, by Patrick Lencioni, a …

August 2, 2012

Five time-tested ways of understanding ourselves and relating to others that, taken collectively, serve as a wonderful foundation for achieving a solid balance of peacefulness and productivity in our lives. The invitation is to learn how to become a more …

July 29, 2012

Many of us have experienced the natural progression that occurs for virtually all of us, as we move from dependence to independence to interdependence.  And organizations are an excellent arena to observe how this development occurs.  In other words, the …

July 26, 2012

An innovative way of understanding the “real work” of leaders and managers, as well as guidelines for convening two of the most important types of conversations in organizational life. Leaders and managers – at all levels and within all types of organizations …

July 12, 2012

An overview of key relationships between leadership and power, as well as a summary of some important ways in which leaders and non-leaders alike exercise power in all areas of life. Effective leadership today – for many organizations – involves the thoughtful …

July 7, 2012

A story goes like this: Johnny, a 10 year old boy, goes to work with his dad for Take-Your-Kid-To-Work-Day.  His dad, Jim, is a high-level executive for a major manufacturing company. They spend all day together, through meetings and conference calls and …

July 6, 2012

Permanent domains or aspects of our lives that provide a practical and powerful framework for setting and achieving goals, as well as designing and creating balance  and fulfillment. These domains are considered to be permanent, in that they exist for each of …

July 5, 2012

Permanent domains or aspects of our lives that provide a practical and powerful framework for setting and achieving goals, as well as designing and creating balance  and fulfillment. These domains are considered to be permanent, in that they exist for each of …

July 1, 2012

Virtually all of us seek the experience of being able to design our own lives; that is, the ability to bring about the types of Results we say we want, in a number of different areas. And virtually everyone involved in a coaching relationship is seeking to bring …

June 24, 2012

In personal development workshops, I ask participants how many of them have ever set private goals… and virtually every hand goes up. I also ask how many of them have ever set public goals… and usually many of the same hands are raised. The next question …

June 21, 2012

Meetings have gotten a bad rap over the years, and in many cases justifiably so.  When we consider the amount of time spent by corporate executives and managers in non-productive meetings, and the collective costs involved, it’s clear that many organizations …

June 21, 2012

A list of ten common ways in which we inadvertently sabotage our relationships, negatively impact our public identity as well as our emotional well-being, and even limit the types of relationships we’re able to create.  Based on life coach and physician …

June 14, 2012

An innovative approach to understanding the dimensions of trust, as well as ways to build – and rebuild – trust in both organizations and relationships. Most of us have a broad understanding of trust and distrust, as well as the importance of trust on organizational …

June 7, 2012

A powerful model for understanding the unique ways that we “see things” and relate to other people, situations and events. Acknowledging the ways in which our language (thoughts and conversations), our moods and emotions and our physical bodies inter-relate …

June 6, 2012

Innovation Leadership: The Revolution Starts With Words - ForbesComplexity is getting . . . more complex.High sentiments always win in the end. The leaders who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more than those who offer safety and a good time. When …

June 6, 2012

Management thought leaders share their ideas on what future leaders can't live without. Featuring: Angel Cabrera, Bill George, Daisy Wademan Dowling, Andy Zelleke, Batia Mishan Wiesenfeld, Evan Wittenberg, Dr. Ellen Langer, and Scott Snook.Continue reading....…

June 6, 2012

Improving Your Bottom Line with an Authentic Corporate Culture - PayScale Career NewsTess C. Taylor, PHR, PayScale May 28, 2013 Developing an Authentic Corporate Culture in a Changing World Social networks, business reviews, and industry associations have created …

June 6, 2012

"Leadership is not a talent or a gift. It's a choice. It's not complex, but it's very hard.", General Stanley McChrystal explains to a packed auditorium of 600 at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. McChrystal shares his perspective on leadership and influence …

June 6, 2012

Explores the different layers and definitions of corporate culture, with commentary from Robert Murray, CEO of Firemint, and Paul Higgins, Managing Director of Oakley.Continue reading....…

June 6, 2012

http://www.ted.com Simon Sinek presents a simple but powerful model for how leaders inspire action, starting with a golden circle and the question "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers -- and as a counterpoint Tivo, which (until …

June 1, 2012

Robert Goffee and Gareth Jones, Europe's leading experts on organizational culture, leadership and change, discovered that inspirational leaders display the quality of "selectively showing their weakness."...