Your presence is a resource – treat it as one
FROM MARK I took a long weekend recently. A real one. No Teams messaging. No email triage at 6:00 AM “just to stay on top of things.” No half-listening to a business call from a pool chair while pretending I was present in either location. With a mixture of resolve and low-grade anxiety, I turned off […]
Culture is what you tolerate
FROM MARK I’ve been in more rooms than I can count where something like this happens: A senior leader dismisses a concern raised by an expert resource two levels below them. Nothing dramatic, just a pivot, a practiced redirect, and a glance at the clock that signals the conversation is over. The person who raised […]
The Real March Madness: Nine Months to Finish a Twelve-Month Year
FROM MARK Spring break is still a few weeks away in our house, but my son has already started the countdown. The focus he’s applying to the calendar right now is… impressive (and yet strangely absent when homework is involved). There’s something powerful about a scheduled pause. Just seeing it on the calendar changes the […]
When strategy meets the calendar (and the calendar wins)
FROM MARK February has a way of removing illusion. The holiday glow is gone, the ambitious January declarations have met the calendar, and the year is no longer theoretical, it’s operational. If January is where we set intentions, February is where those intentions meet email, meetings, and the quiet realization that “new year, new me” […]
Reflections on 20 years of IA
FROM MARK Life presents a series of milestones that imbue a wide litany of unique and ever-changing emotions. Ranging from the raising of a celebratory glass to a tear-filled remembrance, they often conjure a multitude of reactions that can seem at odds. These anniversaries are intensely personal and often quite public, forcing us to react […]
The Transformation Story We’re Still Writing…Together
FROM MARK There’s a certain clarity that comes at year’s end and it has me thinking about the road we have all taken to arrive here. 2025 was a year that rarely stayed still. It surprised us, stretched us, and at times demanded more creativity and resilience than any of us anticipated. Yet even in […]
Nothing says love like a passive-aggressive potluck
FROM MARK Ah, November. That magical mashup of gratitude and gravy as we in the United States gather to celebrate the annual test of how far diplomacy can stretch before someone flips a table. To be clear, I’m not talking politics. I’m talking about the battlefield which is Thanksgiving dinner. Every family is its own […]
Haunted by transformations past: 5 ways leaders can finally move on
Every organization has its ghosts. Instead of rattling chains or slamming doors, they lurk in quiet conference rooms, outdated systems and the collective side-eye that greets the phrase, “It’s time for a new transformation!” Such are the remnants of efforts that have overreached, underdelivered or simply wore people out. At IA, we often meet leaders gearing up for yet […]
The power of intentionality
FROM MARK IA few days ago, I found myself in a familiar spot. As I crawled through the school pickup line (which, incidentally, is an unsanctioned Olympic sport), I rapidly muted and unmuted my phone during a leadership call, factually half-present in both places and fully grounded in neither. Barely avoiding a slow-motion accident due […]
What if HR Tech wasn’t about tech at all?
FROM MARK In the days that have passed since the HR Technology Conference, I find myself reflecting on both the progress our industry has made and the challenges that perpetually remain. The show itself is always equal parts energizing and exhausting, but this year felt especially meaningful. Being back in the mix, sharing ideas on […]