The first time I ever experienced a “Cover Your Ass” (CYA) boss was as a teenager working summer shifts at a trucking company with my father. The operations manager was the textbook definition. Every move he made prioritized self-preservation and avoiding blame above all else, even if it cost the company money or made the […]

In Epiphany 27, “Commander’s Intent: Leading with Clarity, Letting Go of Control”, I highlighted that effective leaders focus not on micromanaging the how things get done, but on conveying the why and the what—the intended outcome should be, not every task detail. But in the real world, especially in fast-moving organizations, intent is often implied—not

One of the most impactful leadership concepts I’ve carried from the Marine Corps into marketing and business is the idea of Commander’s Intent. In the military, before any exercise or combat operation, every Marine knows two things: Leadership is not just about barking orders or sticking rigidly to a plan. It’s about clarity—clarity of mission,

TL;DR You don’t need to own the budget, the team, or the decision to shape the outcome. The most powerful force in business isn’t authority—it’s influence. Soft power—built through trust, education, credibility, and timing—gets decisions made faster, adopted more widely, and resisted far less. When people believe their idea is the solution, they fight for

The Strategic Advantage of Mapping the Known Unknowns TL;DR Most business cases and pitches fail before they even begin—because they overlook the hidden dynamics shaping the decision. You can do everything “right” and still walk into a losing room. The real skill isn’t just presenting well—it’s mapping the terrain in advance: surfacing competing interests, unspoken