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Strategies for Business Leaders
Practical, actionable, with a hint of inspiration. Every week in your inbox.
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Readiness
Is not the same as being prepared. Or knowing what lies ahead. It is not the absence of fear. Rather, it is simply the place…

- Sarah Levitt·
- July 31, 2019 10:13 pm·
Trusted Advisor or Executive Coach?
If you’re a CEO or division president, you likely need a sounding board, confidante, and devil’s advocate. The phrase “lonely at the top” might describe…

- Sarah Levitt·
- July 24, 2019 10:59 pm·
- book ·
The Most Influential Type of Influence
After landing in Ithaca last week, I was greeted by my best friend who invited me to go straight to dinner. And in that moment,…

- Sarah Levitt·
- July 10, 2019 11:02 pm·
Preparing for Promotion
Strategic prioritization is one of the key domains that I address with coaching clients, particularly if they’re moving into elevated leadership roles. A few questions:…

- Sarah Levitt·
- June 26, 2019 11:05 pm·
- book ·
You Can Do Without a Great EA
But it’s not a great idea. One of the first things that I look at when working with a leader who’s been elevated into a…

- Sarah Levitt·
- June 19, 2019 10:49 pm·
When You’re Using the Wrong Hammer
Training can do a lot of things. It can convey cultural messaging and expectations. It can illustrate concepts, outline principles. Provide information. Reinforce standards. But…

- Sarah Levitt·
- June 13, 2019 11:16 pm·
- book ·
Mediocre or Magnificent?
An elderly widow. Several CEOs. A writer. Head of an avalanche mitigation team. Government officials. I spoke to many different kinds of leaders for The…

- Sarah Levitt·
- June 5, 2019 11:00 pm·
Great Expectations
Are you communicating them? Clearly? Are you meeting them? Consistently? My next openings are in late July. For more on working with me directly…

- Sarah Levitt·
- May 29, 2019 11:38 pm·
- book ·
Who Gets Coaching?
Your best and your brightest, the leaders with the greatest potential. Develop those people, and there will be a giant ripple out effect from that…

- Sarah Levitt·
- May 22, 2019 3:20 pm·
- book ·
If You Want Success, Deconstruct It
I like to say that no one cheers for my clients more than I do. When someone has a success, something they’ve been stretching and…

- Sarah Levitt·
- May 15, 2019 9:20 pm·
Sushi Bar
It’s evening and I’m looking over the last of the sushi at a high-end grocery store. It doesn’t look great. The employee behind the counter…

- Sarah Levitt·
- May 8, 2019 11:56 pm·
- book ·
Mile 22
Is supposed to be the worst mile of a marathon. Runners report hitting a wall, with very little physical reserve left. Even though there are…

- Sarah Levitt·
- April 30, 2019 9:38 am·
Impact
Impact is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. A few questions: What does impact mean to you? How do you define it? Where…

- Sarah Levitt·
- April 17, 2019 8:49 am·
There is No Time Like the Present
That’s true. In business and in life. But the questions are: For what? And with whom? For more on Magnificent Leadership® and working with…

- Sarah Levitt·
- April 2, 2019 12:25 pm·
- book ·
The Upside of Infighting
Self-Correcting Teams™, those that go beyond high performance to exemplary performance, can have considerable disagreement, debate, and dissent without doing damage to the team. Which…

- Sarah Levitt·
- March 27, 2019 9:34 am·
Want to Know the Strength of Your Team? Take a Vacation.
Two of my clients, at a very busy time of year, are taking vacations. They’re in different industries, but both oversee large, critical initiatives. One…

- Sarah Levitt·
- March 20, 2019 9:19 am·
- book ·
Do You Trust Your Colleagues?
Or, put another way, do you have colleagues whom you can trust? Those you can seek out at critical junctures when you need carefully considered…

- Sarah Levitt·
- March 12, 2019 10:23 pm·
- book ·
Falling Asleep in the Dentist’s Chair
Last week I had the experience that not many of us look forward to: a dental visit that required drilling and filling. Except. I found…

- Sarah Levitt·
- March 6, 2019 12:29 am·
- book ·
Three Different Conversations, Same Common Denominator
Last week, I had three different client conversations that shared a common theme: people challenges. The open positions that required better and faster magnetization of…

- Sarah Levitt·
- February 27, 2019 8:45 am·
The Three-Legged Stool of Career Transition
About 20% of the work that I do is with executives who are at a career crossroads, asking questions about staying or going. Or, if…

- Sarah Levitt·
- February 20, 2019 9:04 am·
- book ·
The Downside of Being on the Inside
There are many advantages to being up close. You’re there to build relationships with customers and clients. They call you first when there’s a problem. …

- Sarah Levitt·
- February 12, 2019 10:43 pm·
The 3 Spheres of Leadership Influence
Influence of Others: The 3-5 people above you that you need to be visible to. Managing up. Managing your reports and building a Self-Correcting Team™.…

- Sarah Levitt·
- February 6, 2019 10:31 am·
- book ·
The Surprising Ingredient of Leadership Ascension
Many of my clients prepare for elevated leadership roles in our work together. Although we focus on a number of things, from where to build…

- Sarah Levitt·
- January 30, 2019 11:38 am·
- book ·
Choreographing for Performance
Last weekend I had the incredibly joyful experience of watching my best friend’s daughter perform in a dance competition in New York City. It was…

- Sarah Levitt·
- January 22, 2019 1:29 pm·