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Beyond Band-Aids: How to Solve Problems Once Instead of Forever
Root cause analysis is just one part of collaborative problem-solving. The next time you see a recurring issue, ask: Have we taken enough time to understand what's really driving this? Or are we just mopping up oil without finding the leak?

Russ Powell
3 days ago5 min read
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Three Leadership Lessons from My Conversation with Jonathan Mahrt
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege and pleasure of joining Jonathan Mahrt on his On The Flywheel  podcast. Jonathan is quite skillful...

Russ Powell
4 days ago3 min read
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Evidence Before Action: Why the Best Problem-Solvers Begin with Data
Rushing to fix problems without good data leads to costly mistakes. Take a scientist's approach: "I don't know—let's find out!"

Russ Powell
May 76 min read
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Finding the Right Therapist: A Guide for Busy Professionals
Life is difficult. Therapy can help. A mentor of mine once referred to therapy as a "legitimate shortcut to personal growth." Learn more about how to find a good therapist.

Russ Powell
Apr 245 min read
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One Small Step, One Giant Leap: The Power of Integrity in the Pursuit of Winning
The key is to integrate winning and success, with a heightened emphasis on acting with integrity.

Russ Powell
Mar 96 min read
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Workplace Sabotage: Is It Happening Right Under Your Nose?
With the right leadership development, managers can learn to recognize and reduce accidental self-sabotage.

Russ Powell
Mar 94 min read
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Avoiding the Sucker's Choice: There's Almost Always a Third Option
Leaders often feel trapped between two bad options, where both choices seem to sacrifice something vital. Welcome to the sucker's choice.

Russ Powell
Jan 66 min read
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Five Strategies to Help Startup Leaders Focus on What Matters Most
Effective leaders focus where they have a comparative advantage, delegate other tasks, and prioritize developing their future leaders.

Russ Powell
Dec 17, 20243 min read
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The High Cost of Workplace Loneliness (and What to Do About It)
Loneliness is a silent drain on your startup's most valuable resource: your people. It's costing your business more than you think.

Russ Powell
Dec 13, 20243 min read
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From Blame to Accountability: How to Recognize and Escape from the Victim Trap
Escaping the blame-game unleashes untapped potential. Improve problem-solving by shifting your focus from finger-pointing to accountability.

Russ Powell
Nov 22, 20244 min read
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The Knower Trap: How Certainty Sabotages Problem-Solving
In this post, I explore how the "knower trap" hinders problem-solving and offer strategies for recognizing and getting out of it.

Russ Powell
Jul 27, 20246 min read
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Becoming a Better Forecaster: Insights from the Pros
In a world filled with uncertainty, the ability to make accurate predictions is a valuable skill. What do superforecasters have to teach us?

Russ Powell
Jul 20, 20244 min read
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A Surprising Secret: How High-Performing Teams Transform Conflict Into a Competitive Edge
HPTs embrace an inherent paradox—that creation and innovation is often impossible without some friction.

Russ Powell
Jul 6, 20243 min read
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The S-Loop Problem-Solving Framework: A Primer for Business Leaders
The S-Loop is a cyclical, four-stage problem-solving framework that can help you tackle complex problems in human systems.

Russ Powell
Jul 2, 20247 min read
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Exploring the DiSC Styles of Iconic Star Wars Characters
As a fan of both Star Wars and DiSC, I gathered a team of colleagues to assign DiSC styles to 15 famous characters from the franchise.

Russ Powell
Jun 8, 20245 min read
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A Caution Against Using DiSC and Myers-Briggs When Making Hiring Decisions
DiSC and MBTI can be useful for team-building and personal development, but I strongly recommend against their use in the hiring process.

Russ Powell
May 1, 20243 min read
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Peer Coaching: A Surprising Solution to Faster, Better Leadership Development
Unlock potential in your startup or small business with peer-coaching. Develop your leaders and solve problems better, faster, and cheaper.

Russ Powell
Mar 1, 202412 min read
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"We know a lot about organizations; they’re not as mysterious as they seem." –Bill Daniels
Four systems outlining the relationships between leaders and their teams to help you understand productivity, progress and how to improve.

Russ Powell
Oct 3, 20237 min read
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Cowboys, Pit Crews, Doctors and Checklists – A Physician's Take on Systems-Thinking
In a TED video, Atul Gawande summarizes what we do at RPC every day—we help managers learn to analyze and solve problems in human systems.

Russ Powell
Jan 24, 20233 min read
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Live-virtual Training – How to Create and Maintain Engagement (Part 2)
Tips on how to be a better, more engaging facilitator of live-virtual training. Part two of two.

Russ Powell
Dec 15, 20225 min read
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