Why Vertical Development Often Feels So Uncomfortable — and Why That’s a Good Sign
If you’ve ever tried to introduce vertical development—or what I call Being Side work—to a team or organization, you’ve likely encountered resistance. Maybe people shut down. Maybe they got defensive. Or maybe they just smiled politely and quickly moved on. At first glance, that kind of reaction might feel like failure. But if we understand […]
Leaders, What If ADHD Is the Invisible Barrier You’ve Been Battling?
You’re sharp. Capable. Driven. People rely on you. And yet… You constantly feel behind. You miss appointments, forget names, lose track of tasks you swore you’d remember. You rewrite the same to-do list every morning because yesterday’s priorities evaporated the moment you opened your inbox. You bounce between hyper-focus and brain fog. Some days, you’re […]
The Leadership Ceiling: Why 85% of Leaders Plateau at Level 4
In leadership development, there’s an invisible but stubborn ceiling — one that stops the majority of leaders from ever reaching their full potential. In my work with executives, I find that fewer than 10 percent ever make it to the highest rung of leadership maturity (i.e., Level 5). The rest? They plateau at Level 4. […]
What it is Like to Transformationally Become Better
Readers of my new book, Becoming Better, keep telling me about how powerful and impactful a specific example is in this book. The example I am referring to is of my wife. She is someone who hasn’t just become incrementally better, she has become transformationally better. Here is a quote from the book that conveys […]
The 3 Biggest Reasons Most Adults Don’t Change, Develop, or Improve
Why two-thirds of well-intentioned professionals stay stuck—and how you can break the pattern. The Paradox of Adult Growth We live in an era awash with podcasts, masterclasses, and micro-learning apps, yet roughly 64 percent of adults plateau at the very first rung of adult development—what Robert Kegan calls the Socialized Mind (or what I label […]
Brené Brown Shows Us Becoming Better Is About Upgrading Our Internal Operating System
In 2010 Brené Brown walked onstage at TEDxHouston to explain “The Power of Vulnerability.” Twenty million views later, most observers chalked her meteoric rise up to brilliant research communication skills. Skills matter, of course—but they are only half the story. What truly vaulted Brown from anxious academic to global voice of courage was an under-the-hood […]
The Three Steps to Truly Becoming Better
My new book, Becoming Better: The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation, is officially out tomorrow (June 25th). In this book, I ask this existential question: What if the key to unlocking your next level in business and life isn’t about doing more—but about becoming more? And to celebrate my book launch, I was recently on […]
Is ADHD Holding You Back Without You Knowing It?
When early readers of my new book, Becoming Better: The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation, have informed me that they have finished reading it, I always ask the same question: “What stood out or resonated with you?” While the responses vary, I’ve been surprised by how many people mention the content on ADHD. I think […]
Helpful Being Side Development Thoughts from Michael Bungay Stanier
Recently, I attended a workshop led by Michael Bungay Stanier titled Helping People with Hard Change Challenges. It was a rich and thought-provoking session, and one that left me with a mix of appreciation, curiosity, and a few points of challenge. In the workshop, Michael distinguished between two types of change: Easy Change and Hard […]
How to Elevate Along Your Being Side to Become Better
Last week, I held a Vertical Development Community of Practice meet-up. And, I want to share a profound observation that came from our discussion about our Being Side. During the meet-up we were discussing the following: If our Being Side is the degree to which our internal operating system is wired for value creation as […]
