Practice Your Leadership Thinking Privately
Practice Briefs™ are short, structured thinking exercises designed to help leaders pause, discern what is really happening, clarify decisions, and take aligned action.
Four Practices of Influential Leaders
How to Use These Briefs
Each Practice Brief takes about 5 minutes and can be used:
- individually before an important conversation
- with a leadership team during discussion
- as a reflection tool after a leadership moment
Each brief follows the Strategic Intelligence loop:
Four Thinking Stages
These four thinking stages help leaders slow down reactive thinking and improve decision quality.
Featured Core Practice Briefs
- When Urgency Is Driving the Conversation
- When a Meeting Is Circling Without Progress
- When You Feel Pressure to Respond Immediately
- Diagnosing the Real Problem
- When Stakeholders See the Situation Differently
- When a Leader’s Behavior Is Affecting Team Trust
- When Board Members Disagree About Leadership Direction
- When a Team Is Jumping Too Quickly to Solutions
- When Two Leaders Are Misaligned
- When Leaders Must Reset Expectations
Core Leadership Practice Briefs
Unlock your inner potential so you can excel in leadership.
When Urgency Is Driving the Conversation
Leaders often face pressure to move quickly, even when important questions remain unanswered. This brief helps leaders recognize when urgency is shaping decisions and pause long enough to ensure the team is focusing on the right priorities.
When a Meeting Is Circling Without Progress
Some discussions repeat the same viewpoints without moving closer to a decision or the next step. This brief helps leaders recognize when a conversation has stalled and refocus the group on the outcome the meeting should produce.
When You Feel Pressure to Respond Immediately
Leaders are frequently asked for answers before they have fully understood the situation. This brief helps leaders slow their thinking, ask clarifying questions, and respond in ways that improve the quality of the conversation.
Diagnosing the Real Problem
Teams often move quickly to solutions before clearly defining the problem they are trying to solve. This brief helps leaders pause and examine whether the team is addressing symptoms or identifying the underlying issue.
When Stakeholders See the Situation Differently
Important decisions often involve stakeholders who interpret the same situation in very different ways. This brief helps leaders identify competing perspectives and guide the group toward a clearer shared understanding.
When a Leader’s Behavior Is Affecting Team Trust
Sometimes team members become cautious about speaking openly if past reactions have created hesitation. This brief helps leaders recognize signals that trust may be affected and consider actions that encourage more open dialogue.
When Board Members Disagree About Leadership Direction
Board discussions can sometimes become divided when members hold different views about leadership direction or governance priorities. This brief helps leaders step back from positions and focus the conversation on the decision the board must make.
When a Team Is Jumping Too Quickly to Solutions
Energetic teams often propose solutions quickly, even when the problem has not been clearly defined. This brief helps leaders slow the conversation and ensure the team is solving the right issue before moving forward.
When a Team Is Jumping Too Quickly to Solutions
When leaders responsible for related work are operating with different expectations, confusion can spread quickly across teams. This brief helps leaders examine the source of the misalignment and clarify shared expectations.
When Leaders Must Reset Expectations
Projects sometimes stall when expectations about priorities, roles, or outcomes were not fully understood. This brief helps leaders revisit those expectations and establish clearer direction moving forward.
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