leadership

The New Leader’s Playbook: Situational Do’s and Don’ts for a Successful Start

Starting a new leadership role is one of the most high-stakes transitions in any career. I’ve gone through it multiple times across very different organizations—fast-moving startups, operationally intense mid-market firms, and post-acquisition integrations. Each time, I was reminded that there’s no universal “first 90 days” checklist that works everywhere. You’re not just taking over responsibilities. You’re entering a live system with its own history, culture, relationships, and battle scars. The way you move early on …

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Why Overvaluing Industry Experience Limits Innovation in Data Leadership

A senior exec once asked me whether my experience with streaming vs. batch processing and customer data platforms “really translates” across industries. On the surface, it’s a fair question. But it reveals a hiring mindset that quietly constrains many companies: the belief that industry experience is the primary predictor of leadership success. The Illusion of Uniqueness Every leadership team thinks their industry is uniquely complex. Sometimes that’s true. Regulatory nuance in healthcare, trading rules in …

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The Lone Wolf: Misunderstood or Misaligned?

In today’s business culture, collaboration is treated as the gold standard. We idolize team players, prioritize consensus, and treat solo work as a red flag. But that perspective isn’t always right. Not every meaningful contribution comes from group efforts. Some of the most important breakthroughs, elegant systems, and high-leverage solutions come from individuals working alone, without distraction. These “Lone wolves” aren’t anti-collaborative, they are just built differently. And when you learn to recognize and support …

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What Jiro Dreams of Sushi Teaches Us About Leadership, Craft, and High-Performing Teams

If The Bear revealed the raw energy and emotional complexity of teamwork under fire, Jiro Dreams of Sushi presents a quieter but no less powerful portrait of leadership. Jiro Ono’s Tokyo-based sushi restaurant, run with monastic precision, stands as one of the most revered kitchens in the world — and also one of the most instructive case studies for corporate leaders. In Jiro’s world, there are no performance reviews, OKRs, or corporate retreats. Yet his team consistently delivers at …

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Throwing the Baby Out with the Bathwater? Maybe You Should.

We’ve all heard it: “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” In business, this phrase is often deployed as a caution against overcorrection. It urges us to preserve the core while cleaning up the mess around it. Fair enough, except when the core itself is the problem. The phrase assumes there’s a precious “baby” worth saving. But what if there isn’t? Or what if the effort to preserve it is what’s anchoring your organization to outdated …

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