Jo McDermott

Executive Development

  • Will Your Style Get You To The Next Level?

    You have gotten to where you are based on a lot of things, but a key element of your success is your style.  Are you the “expert/straight-forward/opinionated” person?  Are you the “social/make everyone comfortable/cheerful” person?  Or are you the “large/take… Continue reading

  • Sorry. You Are Not Indispensible.

    We all see ourselves as the hub of our own universe.  This is not a bad thing–and it is natural.  It does create blind spots, however. When we evaluate our importance to the organization it is through our own eyes. … Continue reading

  • The Way You Think Is Wrong

    No Matter Who You Are No matter who you are–black, white, Hispanic, French, Executive, Gen X, Retiree–the way you think is wrong.  Oh, I left out Democrat or Republican.  Our brains are truly wonderful things.  They are efficient processors of… Continue reading

  • The Water You Swim In

    Understanding Your Organization’s Culture Organization culture for people is like water is for fish.  It is there.  It is critical to how the organization works.  It shapes people’s interactions.  It guides how work gets done, what is considered success, who… Continue reading

  • How Do You Know If You’re a Good Leader?

    How Can You Judge Your Leadership Skills Let’s start with how you know whether someone else is a good leader?  You just know, right? Yes, you know when someone is a good leader for YOU.  Each of us is looking… Continue reading

  • Just a Paycheck

    “Just a Paycheck” If the reason that you’re working at the job that you have is for “just a paycheck,” you’re wasting your time and maybe your life.  I’m not talking about people who are working at a job to… Continue reading

  • What We Can Learn From the Olympics

    People who make it to the Olympics are REALLY good at what they do.  Even people who finish LAST at the Olympics are way better than most of us.  How do they get there?  Well, the easy answer is that… Continue reading

  • What Does It Take To Be An Executive In Your Org?

    What Does It Take To Be An Executive At Your Org? Executives come in all flavors.  Organizations also come in all flavors.  People who want to be Executives come in all flavors.  How do you know what your organization needs… Continue reading

  • My Five Favorite Books on Leadership

    So Hard to Pick Just Five! Boy, this was hard.  I thought about writing several blogs–My First Five Favorite Books on Leadership, My Next Five Favorite Books on Leadership . . .   Then I thought about writing a blog titled… Continue reading

  • Fed Up With Looking For a Job?

    Fed Up With Looking For A Job? Have you been looking for a job for a while?  Have you sent out dozens of resumés and heard NOTHING back?  Have you talked to recruiters who told you that you weren’t qualified… Continue reading