When It’s Raining Frogs, An Umbrella Is Not Enough
Change happens slowly, and then… all at once. Some changes are rather small in the large scheme of things. Some changes we choose. We...
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John W Bailie, PhD
- Aug 25
- 10 min
Create a Changing Program, Not A Training Program
Many years ago, a colleague and I found ourselves in a conversation with a competitor in the professional leadership training market. The...
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John W Bailie, PhD
- Aug 9
- 3 min
The Problem With Accountability
A longtime colleague in leadership training and consulting recently said to me during a discussion, “You know, I’m increasingly...
185 views0 comments
John W Bailie, PhD
- Jul 5
- 3 min
Speed + Accuracy = Power
When it comes to giving feedback: Speed + Accuracy = Power. I was recently giving my oldest son some beginner boxing lessons. Like I was...
105 views0 comments
John W Bailie, PhD
- May 31
- 7 min
Curtains and Walls
I was in my early thirties. I was going through a very painful and complicated breakup. Work was going great, but that success came with...
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John W Bailie, PhD
- Dec 2, 2021
- 2 min
Unequivocal Responsibility-taking
I take full responsibility for my behavior. This is what I did and my part in what happened. How has what I’ve done affected you? I am...
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John W Bailie, PhD
- Nov 19, 2021
- 2 min
Liabilities Have Numbers. Assets Have Names.
An aging facility in need of environmental remediation, an overfunded unit producing a product past its prime, or a culture that prizes...
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John W Bailie, PhD
- Oct 26, 2021
- 2 min
Lead by Craft, Not By Spec
Several years ago, a family member asked me how to make my (delicious, I might add) pulled pork chili. I responded by giving her a few of...
78 views1 comment
John W Bailie, PhD
- Sep 16, 2021
- 4 min
Generosity as Strategy
What if being generous was a better business strategy than clinging to control? Many years ago, one of my first entrepreneurial...
168 views4 comments
John W Bailie, PhD
- Sep 2, 2021
- 3 min
What Drives Happiness (and Performance) at Work?
The single greatest driver of happiness and performance in the workplace is the quality of your relationships. When we are strongly...
327 views0 comments
John W Bailie, PhD
- Jun 16, 2021
- 6 min
Everyone Has a Venn Diagram, Until They Get Punched in the Mouth
“Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth.” Truer words were never spoken. In this case the philosopher was former...
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John W Bailie, PhD
- Feb 26, 2021
- 5 min
The Clapping Place
Just because people are clapping, doesn’t mean they agree. A few years ago, I did a mini speaking tour in Eastern Europe – one of my...
208 views2 comments
John W Bailie, PhD
- Jan 8, 2021
- 3 min
Kobayashi Maru
How do you win when you’re in a position that is strategically unwinnable? A “Kobayashi Maru” is any situation in which all available...
254 views0 comments
John W Bailie, PhD
- Nov 17, 2020
- 2 min
Good Guys and Bad Guys
Every great and truly interesting villain believes they are the good guy. Darth Vader believed he was bringing a more efficient galactic...
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John W Bailie, PhD
- Oct 22, 2020
- 2 min
Break a Leg
Sometimes we must be broken before we are ready to change. I heard an impactful homily this year from a priest that I greatly respect. He...
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John W Bailie, PhD
- Sep 23, 2020
- 2 min
Put Principles Before Politics
The world is facing a hydra of social tensions unlike any other time in the last hundred years. Leaders and organizational cultures will...
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John W Bailie, PhD
- Sep 1, 2020
- 3 min
Four Hard Lessons for New Leaders
Some of the best lessons in life are hard to hear. Early in my career, I was fortunate enough to have several key mentors who were...
225 views0 comments
John W Bailie, PhD
- Jun 25, 2020
- 5 min
Anti-Social Media
In the wake of the 2016 US election season, I did a lot of reflecting about online behavior – for myself and leaders in general. As I...
205 views0 comments
John W Bailie, PhD
- Apr 6, 2020
- 1 min
Resources for a Crisis
I won’t waste time writing anything clever in this post. All of your lives around the world have been disrupted as we all adjust to the...
105 views0 comments
John W Bailie, PhD
- Mar 11, 2020
- 3 min
Connectedness Beats Metrics
Whether you’re the newest intern or CEO, most people in an organization recognize that everyone has a functional role to play in a highly...
296 views0 comments