How Committed are You?

Cathie Leimbach • September 20, 2022

At some time or other, we have all failed to keep a promise. We had good intentions to get together with someone, to complete a task, to initiate and finish a project.  But life got in the way. We failed to meet the goal because we weren’t fully committed to it.

What does it take to be committed enough to focus on our priorities and achieve our goals? Sangram Vajre believes that commitment requires three things: a crystal-clear mission or purpose, right-fit people, and a healthy culture.

A clear mission or purpose statement simply and accurately states the organization’s reason for being. It provides focus for the company’s, non-profit’s, or government agency’s work. It defines the destination with the intention that all of the organization’s resources will be dedicated to effectively and efficiently travelling in that direction. When the mission is crystal clear, everyone understands what it means, so they can spend all of their time on things that help them reach the destination.

Once there is clarity of direction, it is important to have the right people on the bus. It is important for managers to only hire people whose personal passions intersect with the organization’s mission. They look for fit between personal and organizational values. When there is alignment between the organization’s purpose and the preferences of its people, great things can be accomplished.  

Then, a healthy culture enables right-fit people to work together to achieve the clear mission. When the workplace environment encourages collaboration and respects everyone’s strengths, engagement and empowerment can flourish. People apply themselves and the organization excels.

How committed are you to doing your best to help your organization fulfill its purpose?  How does your organization rate regarding a clear mission, right-fit people, and a healthy culture? What is one thing you can be committed to that will improve its success? 

Speaking Up Is Not Defiance. It's Duty.

By Cathie Leimbach • June 23, 2026
Most leaders say they want employees to speak up. They want people who spot risks, question assumptions, and help the organization make better decisions. Yet many employees hesitate to do exactly that. Why? Because leaders often respond to speaking up as if the speaker is complaining, criticizing or resisting. When people fear being viewed as difficult, they stop sharing what they see. The organization loses valuable information, ideas, and perspectives. A recent McKinsey article found that teams with high psychological safety are two to three times more likely to generate breakthrough ideas. When people feel safe speaking up, better thinking follows. The best leaders understand a simple truth: Speaking up is not defiance. It's duty. When employees question assumptions, raise concerns, or offer a different perspective, they are helping the team avoid blind spots and make stronger decisions. That's why effective leaders don't merely tolerate speaking up—they invite it. They ask: What are we not seeing? What assumptions are we making? Who might see this differently? What information are we missing? Just as importantly, they respond with curiosity instead of defensiveness. They thank people for expressing their perspective. They explain how input influenced decisions. They make speaking up safe. Because organizations don't improve when everyone agrees. They improve when people feel responsible for helping the team see what others may have missed. In healthy organizations, speaking up isn't rebellion. It's responsibility. It's duty. Leadership Reflection Think about your last leadership team meeting. Did people simply agree? Or did someone help the team see something it otherwise would have missed? Download 5 Questions That Surface Better Thinking and make speaking up a productive part of how your team thinks, decides, and performs.

Put Your Brain in Gear When Using AI

By Cathie Leimbach • June 16, 2026
Artificial Intelligence is becoming a powerful workplace tool. It can summarize information, analyze data, draft content, and generate ideas in seconds. But there is a growing risk leaders need to recognize: AI can sound convincing even when it is wrong. In an article by Erica Dhawan, she describes a legal case where attorneys used ChatGPT to help prepare a court filing. The brief looked professional, the reasoning seemed logical, and the citations appeared legitimate. There was only one problem: several of the cited cases did not exist. The AI had fabricated them. The danger wasn't carelessness. It was trust. Because the information was presented clearly, confidently, and professionally, nobody stopped to question it. Psychologists call this the "fluency heuristic"—our tendency to assume information is accurate when it is easy to process and sounds credible. As leaders, we cannot allow polished answers to replace critical thinking. When you find yourself thinking, "This is too good to be true," put your brain in gear. Dig deeper. Investigate. Verify the facts. Ask what assumptions were made, what information might be missing, and what evidence supports the conclusion. AI can be an incredible assistant. It should never become a substitute for judgment. The smooth answer is not always the wrong one—but it is often the one that deserves the most scrutiny. Before You Act, Verify. The biggest risk with AI isn't bad information. It's believable information that's wrong. That's why we created the AI Verification Checklist for Leaders —a simple 5-minute tool designed to help leaders challenge assumptions, identify missing information, verify conclusions, and make better decisions before acting on AI-generated recommendations. Download the free AI Verification Checklist for Leaders and start asking better questions before making important decisions.