By AMY NARISHKIN, Ph.D. Appeared in the Illinois Business Journal before they went offline. A hard-driving CEO recently asked me a deceptively simple question: “How can I be a better ally for the women on my leadership team?” It’s a question more leaders are...
What if your team doesn’t have an accountability problem at all? In this article, Dr. Amy Narishkin explores how recurring cultural systems quietly shape workplace behavior and why curiosity, rather than quick conclusions, helps leaders build trust, strengthen accountability, and improve organizational performance.
Burnout is often treated as an individual problem. But what if the pressure isn’t coming from the individual at all? In this article, Dr. Amy Narishkin explores how cultural systems shape exhaustion, performance, and retention—and why culturally intelligent leaders ask different questions before prescribing solutions.
Leaders often interpret silence, hesitation, and avoidance as resistance. But what if employees are not resisting at all? In this article, Dr. Amy Narishkin explores how psychological safety, cultural systems, and leadership assumptions shape workplace behavior—and how culturally intelligent leaders create environments where honest conversations, trust, and stronger performance can thrive.
What looks like miscommunication is often a difference in cultural context. In this article, Dr. Amy Narishkin shares how working across cultures improves clarity, strengthens trust, and drives better business results.
If your leaders are still relying on “open discussion” to drive results, they’re leaving performance on the table. The question isn’t whether your team members are capable. It’s whether your system allows and encourages them to contribute.
Caroline (not her real name) didn’t come to our coaching session with a leadership problem. She came in with weariness. Not the kind that comes from a lack of results – but the kind that comes from carrying results while feeling invisible. She told me about a board...
The best leaders don’t just ask better questions — they know how to make conversations feel safe, respectful, and trust-building. Discover how examining assumptions and adjusting your approach can improve retention, engagement, and team performance.
When we pause long enough to understand a person’s context and respond with cultural intelligence, we shift from pushing solutions to creating space for shared ones.
That three-second moment when I put down my bag wasn’t just a delay—it was a deliberate choice to create space for understanding rather than reaction. The pause transformed what could have been a confrontation into a connection, opposition into opportunity.