After decades of working with leaders, organizations, and public agencies, I have learned that the most useful insights rarely come from textbooks. They come from experience along the trail: seeing what works, what fails, why good organizations struggle, and what leaders can do differently.
The articles below offer practical observations and lessons drawn from those real-world experiences. Some may challenge conventional thinking. That is intentional. Good leadership begins with the willingness to look honestly at what is happening and ask what could be done better.
I have organized these articles using the same taxonomy I apply to Strategic Plans, Leadership training, and organizational assessments: Leadership & Culture, Management, Operations & Logistics, Finance, Human Resources / Team Services, Marketing & Growth, Government Relations, Strategic Planning, and one category frequently overlooked by other consultants: Take Care of Yourself.
Use the form at the bottom of this page to be notified about new articles as I publish them! – SLK
Leadership & Culture
- Why Does My Boss Micromanage Everything?Read more →
- Choose Your InconvenienceRead more →
- We Keep Getting More Work, But Nothing Ever Comes Off The List.Read more →
- Too Many Of You Are Still Being Lazy and Shortsighted: Promoting People Before You Train Them For Their Next RoleRead more →
- Leadership Training Design, Delivery, and ImplementationRead more →
- Why Doesn’t My Boss Fix Problems?Read more →
- Why Doesn’t My Boss Know How To Lead?Read more →
- Why Is My Boss So Disorganized?Read more →
- Why Does My Boss Never Have A Plan?Read more →
- You Can’t Be Successfully Sued Over Something That Never HappensRead more →
- My Boss Takes Credit For My WorkRead more →
- How Do I Deal With A Bully?Read more →
- How Do I Deal With Conflict? A Practical Approach to Resolving Conflict at Work and in LifeRead more →
- A Coworker Is Jealous of My Promotion and Trying to Undermine MeRead more →
- Can Leadership Be Taught Online?Read more →
- Public Safety Protects a Community’s WealthRead more →
- Why Is My Agency Automatically Seen As A Pure Expense?Read more →
- How Can I Get Promoted?Read more →
- Top 10 Signs You’re On The Path To Getting FiredRead more →
- Why Does My Organization Measure Stupid Stuff?Read more →
- What Should I Do When My Manager Won’t Hold People Accountable?Read more →
- When Organizational Values and Behavior Don’t MatchRead more →
- What Is A “Culture”?Read more →
- Management Isn’t a Group of People. It’s Four Functions.Read more →
- Why Don’t My Employees Take Responsibility?Read more →
- Why Is Being a Supervisor So Damned Frustrating?Read more →
- Why Am I Burned Out When I Used To Be Able To Handle Everything?Read more →
- Why Does My Supervisor Make My Job Harder?Read more →
- Before You Evaluate a Supervisor, Define What Good Looks LikeRead more →
- The Great Leadership Lie: Why “Magic” is Simply “Adult Behavior”Read more →
- Field Training Officers Aren’t Just Trainers. They’re Leaders.Read more →
- Beyond the “Crime Stats”: Why Crime Metrics Fail and How Peelian Principles Define Real SafetyRead more →
- Why People Don’t Read – Even When It Could Save Them HeartacheRead more →
- The Death of Training: Why Too Many “Instructors” Fail Adult LearnersRead more →
- The Cost of Poor Decision-Making in Public SafetyRead more →
- Why Job Performance Reviews SuckRead more →
- Why Does Communication Get Screwed Up?Read more →
- Why Won’t My Employees Take Responsibility?Read more →
- Agenda Items for Follow-Through: Weaving Excellence Into The Fabric Of Your CultureRead more →
- Stop Wasting Time: The Four-Item Agenda That Cures Ineffective MeetingsRead more →
- The Cost of Bad Management: Supervisory Habits That Drain Time, Trust, and TalentRead more →
- Building Cairns Along the Path: Leadership Through the Five Stages of Team DevelopmentRead more →
- How New Facilities Can Break Organizational CultureRead more →
- Navigating the Instinct to Resist a New PathRead more →
- The Police Accreditation Myth: Why ‘Best Practices’ Seem To Fail The 4 Results That MatterRead more →
- The Data Trap: Why More Information Doesn’t Produce Better DecisionsRead more →
- The Shadow Chain of Command: How Public Safety Labor Dynamics Can Strain Efficiency, Accountability, and the Taxpayer InterestRead more →
- Navigating the Middle Manager SqueezeRead more →
- From Leading to Leaving: A Three-Year Guide to a Seamless Career TransitionRead more →
- The Middle-Management Bottleneck: Why Your HR Strategy May Be StallingRead more →
- Let’s Stop Tripping Over The Debris of Archaic Trail LanguageRead more →
- When The Path Shifts Beneath Your FeetRead more →
- No Secrets. No Surprises.Read more →
- Practice Does NOT Make “Perfect.” Practice Makes Good HabitsRead more →
- On The Trail We Must Prevail, Not Simply SurviveRead more →
- The Hidden Cost of Policy Ambiguity: Protecting Your Organization from Avoidable RiskRead more →
- Moving Beyond the Parent-Child Dynamic In The WorkplaceRead more →
- Navigating the Transition: A Comprehensive Guide to Crafting Your Career Exit PlanRead more →
- Why Things Don’t Get DoneRead more →
- The Escalation of Mediocrity: The Consequences Of Non-Existent Succession PlanningRead more →
- Who Are You Without the Title?Read more →
- A Continuity Imperative: Succession PlanningRead more →
- What I’ve Learned About Many Paths, One HumanityRead more →
- The Boss is Gone. What Are You Going To Do … Stop Working?Read more →
- Are You A Purposeful Adult … Or A Bling Chaser?Read more →
- When The Culture Is Still Working For The Person Who Isn’t Here AnymoreRead more →
- Stop Hiring Histories, Start Hiring For The FutureRead more →
Management
- Why Doesn’t My Boss Fix Problems?Read more →
- Why Doesn’t My Boss Know How To Lead?Read more →
- Why Is My Boss So Disorganized?Read more →
- Why Does My Boss Never Have A Plan?Read more →
- Management Isn’t a Group of People. It’s Four Functions.Read more →
- The Cost of Poor Decision-Making in Public SafetyRead more →
- Why Does Communication Get Screwed Up?Read more →
- The Cost of Bad Management: Supervisory Habits That Drain Time, Trust, and TalentRead more →
- The Data Trap: Why More Information Doesn’t Produce Better DecisionsRead more →
- Let’s Stop Tripping Over The Debris of Archaic Trail LanguageRead more →
- Why Things Don’t Get DoneRead more →
- The Escalation of Mediocrity: The Consequences Of Non-Existent Succession PlanningRead more →
- When The Culture Is Still Working For The Person Who Isn’t Here AnymoreRead more →
Operations & Logistics
- We Keep Getting More Work, But Nothing Ever Comes Off The List.Read more →
- Leadership Training Design, Delivery, and ImplementationRead more →
- Why Doesn’t My Boss Fix Problems?Read more →
- Why Is My Boss So Disorganized?Read more →
- Why Does My Boss Never Have A Plan?Read more →
- Why Is My Agency Automatically Seen As A Pure Expense?Read more →
- Why Does My Organization Measure Stupid Stuff?Read more →
- What Is A “Culture”?Read more →
- Management Isn’t a Group of People. It’s Four Functions.Read more →
- Before You Evaluate a Supervisor, Define What Good Looks LikeRead more →
- Beyond the “Crime Stats”: Why Crime Metrics Fail and How Peelian Principles Define Real SafetyRead more →
- Why People Don’t Read – Even When It Could Save Them HeartacheRead more →
- The Cost of Poor Decision-Making in Public SafetyRead more →
- “Comparables” … The Decision Model Of Choice For Lazy ThinkersRead more →
- Agenda Items for Follow-Through: Weaving Excellence Into The Fabric Of Your CultureRead more →
- The Hidden Danger: How Shift Work and Lack of Sleep Can Cause Psychotic SymptomsRead more →
- A Flawed Staffing Algorithm Is At The Core Of Burnout And Safety ViolationsRead more →
- Are Your “Support” Staff Acting Like Roman Centurions?Read more →
- When The Path Shifts Beneath Your FeetRead more →
- On The Trail We Must Prevail, Not Simply SurviveRead more →
- The Hidden Cost of Policy Ambiguity: Protecting Your Organization from Avoidable RiskRead more →
Finance
- Public Safety Protects a Community’s WealthRead more →
- Why Is My Agency Automatically Seen As A Pure Expense?Read more →
- Why Does My Organization Measure Stupid Stuff?Read more →
- The Cost of Poor Decision-Making in Public SafetyRead more →
- “Comparables” … The Decision Model Of Choice For Lazy ThinkersRead more →
- The Shadow Chain of Command: How Public Safety Labor Dynamics Can Strain Efficiency, Accountability, and the Taxpayer InterestRead more →
- Hey Chief! Sheriff! Didn’t We Give You The Authority To Arrest People Who Rob You?Read more →
- Are You A Purposeful Adult … Or A Bling Chaser?Read more →
Human Resources/Team Services
- Choose Your InconvenienceRead more →
- We Keep Getting More Work, But Nothing Ever Comes Off The List.Read more →
- Too Many Of You Are Still Being Lazy and Shortsighted: Promoting People Before You Train Them For Their Next RoleRead more →
- Leadership Training Design, Delivery, and ImplementationRead more →
- Why Doesn’t My Boss Know How To Lead?Read more →
- Why Is My Boss So Disorganized?Read more →
- You Can’t Be Successfully Sued Over Something That Never HappensRead more →
- My Boss Takes Credit For My WorkRead more →
- How Do I Deal With A Bully?Read more →
- How Do I Develop a Career Plan?Read more →
- How Do I Deal With Conflict? A Practical Approach to Resolving Conflict at Work and in LifeRead more →
- A Coworker Is Jealous of My Promotion and Trying to Undermine MeRead more →
- Can Leadership Be Taught Online?Read more →
- How Can I Get Promoted?Read more →
- Top 10 Signs You’re On The Path To Getting FiredRead more →
- Why Does My Organization Measure Stupid Stuff?Read more →
- What Should I Do When My Manager Won’t Hold People Accountable?Read more →
- When Organizational Values and Behavior Don’t MatchRead more →
- Management Isn’t a Group of People. It’s Four Functions.Read more →
- Why Don’t My Employees Take Responsibility?Read more →
- Why Is Being a Supervisor So Damned Frustrating?Read more →
- Why Does My Supervisor Make My Job Harder?Read more →
- Before You Evaluate a Supervisor, Define What Good Looks LikeRead more →
- Field Training Officers Aren’t Just Trainers. They’re Leaders.Read more →
- The Death of Training: Why Too Many “Instructors” Fail Adult LearnersRead more →
- The Cost of Poor Decision-Making in Public SafetyRead more →
- Why Job Performance Reviews SuckRead more →
- “Comparables” … The Decision Model Of Choice For Lazy ThinkersRead more →
- Why Does Communication Get Screwed Up?Read more →
- Why Won’t My Employees Take Responsibility?Read more →
- Agenda Items for Follow-Through: Weaving Excellence Into The Fabric Of Your CultureRead more →
- Stop Wasting Time: The Four-Item Agenda That Cures Ineffective MeetingsRead more →
- The Hidden Danger: How Shift Work and Lack of Sleep Can Cause Psychotic SymptomsRead more →
- A Flawed Staffing Algorithm Is At The Core Of Burnout And Safety ViolationsRead more →
- The Middle-Management Bottleneck: Why Your HR Strategy May Be StallingRead more →
- Beyond the Grumble: How to Handle Perpetual Critics Who Weaponize “Improvement”Read more →
- Are Your “Support” Staff Acting Like Roman Centurions?Read more →
- New Hikers On The TrailRead more →
- Practice Does NOT Make “Perfect.” Practice Makes Good HabitsRead more →
- The Hidden Cost of Policy Ambiguity: Protecting Your Organization from Avoidable RiskRead more →
- Moving Beyond the Parent-Child Dynamic In The WorkplaceRead more →
- Why Things Don’t Get DoneRead more →
- The Escalation of Mediocrity: The Consequences Of Non-Existent Succession PlanningRead more →
- Who Are You Without the Title?Read more →
- A Continuity Imperative: Succession PlanningRead more →
- The Boss is Gone. What Are You Going To Do … Stop Working?Read more →
- Stop Hiring Histories, Start Hiring For The FutureRead more →
Marketing & Growth
- Public Safety Protects a Community’s WealthRead more →
- Beyond the “Crime Stats”: Why Crime Metrics Fail and How Peelian Principles Define Real SafetyRead more →
- Beyond the Grumble: How to Handle Perpetual Critics Who Weaponize “Improvement”Read more →
- Economic Destiny by Design: Our Responsibility To Future GenerationsRead more →
Government Relations
Strategic Planning
- Leadership Training Design, Delivery, and ImplementationRead more →
- Why Is My Boss So Disorganized?Read more →
- Why Does My Boss Never Have A Plan?Read more →
- Public Safety Protects a Community’s WealthRead more →
- Why Is My Agency Automatically Seen As A Pure Expense?Read more →
- Beyond the “Crime Stats”: Why Crime Metrics Fail and How Peelian Principles Define Real SafetyRead more →
- “Comparables” … The Decision Model Of Choice For Lazy ThinkersRead more →
- The Seduction of the Immediate: Why Instant Gratification Destroys Organizations and FuturesRead more →
- Navigating the Instinct to Resist a New PathRead more →
- The Police Accreditation Myth: Why ‘Best Practices’ Seem To Fail The 4 Results That MatterRead more →
- The Shadow Chain of Command: How Public Safety Labor Dynamics Can Strain Efficiency, Accountability, and the Taxpayer InterestRead more →
- Beyond the Grumble: How to Handle Perpetual Critics Who Weaponize “Improvement”Read more →
- On The Trail We Must Prevail, Not Simply SurviveRead more →
- Economic Destiny by Design: Our Responsibility To Future GenerationsRead more →
- Hey Chief! Sheriff! Didn’t We Give You The Authority To Arrest People Who Rob You?Read more →
- Are You A Purposeful Adult … Or A Bling Chaser?Read more →
Take Care of Yourself
- Why Does My Boss Micromanage Everything?Read more →
- Choose Your InconvenienceRead more →
- We Keep Getting More Work, But Nothing Ever Comes Off The List.Read more →
- Too Many Of You Are Still Being Lazy and Shortsighted: Promoting People Before You Train Them For Their Next RoleRead more →
- Leadership Training Design, Delivery, and ImplementationRead more →
- My Boss Takes Credit For My WorkRead more →
- How Do I Deal With A Bully?Read more →
- How Do I Develop a Career Plan?Read more →
- How Do I Deal With Conflict? A Practical Approach to Resolving Conflict at Work and in LifeRead more →
- A Coworker Is Jealous of My Promotion and Trying to Undermine MeRead more →
- How Can I Get Promoted?Read more →
- Top 10 Signs You’re On The Path To Getting FiredRead more →
- What Should I Do When My Manager Won’t Hold People Accountable?Read more →
- When Organizational Values and Behavior Don’t MatchRead more →
- Why Is Being a Supervisor So Damned Frustrating?Read more →
- Why Am I Burned Out When I Used To Be Able To Handle Everything?Read more →
- Why Does My Supervisor Make My Job Harder?Read more →
- From Leading to Leaving: A Three-Year Guide to a Seamless Career TransitionRead more →
- Navigating the Transition: A Comprehensive Guide to Crafting Your Career Exit PlanRead more →
- Who Are You Without the Title?Read more →
- A Continuity Imperative: Succession PlanningRead more →
Use this form to be notified about new articles as I publish them!
