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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
71 views
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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
25 views
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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 93 min read
34 views
0 comments


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
53 views
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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
13 views
0 comments


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
22 views
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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
35 views
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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, 20245 min read
124 views
0 comments


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
49 views
0 comments


Developing a Learning Organization: Five Principles for Improving Performance
Cultivate a workplace where the practices of continuous learning and growth thrive—with these five principles.

Russ Powell
Jul 13, 20245 min read
40 views
0 comments


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
13 views
0 comments


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
166 views
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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
255 views
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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, 202411 min read
100 views
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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
78 views
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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
32 views
0 comments


Six Rules of Training Every Manager Should Know
Skill alone is not enough to guarantee performance. You must also have opportunity to perform, self-efficacy, and a supportive environment.

Russ Powell
Oct 18, 20225 min read
49 views
0 comments


Three Steps for Having Better Difficult Conversations
To have productive difficult conversations take the perspective of the other, think about what you truly want, and don't take it personally.

Russ Powell
Jun 27, 20222 min read
33 views
0 comments


Dunbar's Number and the Limits of Friendship
A few excerpts from an article by Maria Konnikova about Dunbar's number, the nature of friendship and the limits of social media.

Russ Powell
May 9, 20223 min read
201 views
0 comments


Systems Thinking and the Juggling Girls of Berlin
A troupe of jugglers from Berlin helps us apply a simple, powerful framework for thinking about and diagnosing problems in human systems.

Russ Powell
Feb 23, 20225 min read
511 views
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