Category Archives: Leadership

Information-Rich, Command-Poor: The Emerging Executive Risk in the Age of AI

Artificial intelligence is giving executives unprecedented access to information, but more information does not necessarily produce better leadership. Drawing on firsthand executive experience and emerging research, this article explores the Information-to-Command Gap—the challenge of converting AI-assisted research into genuine understanding, sound judgment, and organizational influence. It introduces the Executive Command Protocol, a practical framework for ensuring that AI expands human capability without undermining the independent thinking required for consequential decisions. Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Business Accumen, Career Skills, Artificial Intelligence, AI, Digital Twin, Leading at Scale | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Decision Rights Are Critical for EHS Success

Effective EHS leadership depends on more than accountability—it requires clearly defined decision rights. Explore how aligning authority, expertise, and operational responsibility strengthens risk management, improves business performance, and prevents costly governance failures. Includes a real-world case study and a downloadable EHS Decision Rights Assessment Tool. Continue reading →

Posted in EHS Management, EHS Management Systems, enterprise risk management, Leadership, Leading at Scale | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Earning Executive Influence: Six Lenses for EHS Innovation and Payback

What if your EHS team had to earn the business before it could earn the influence? EHS leaders frequently talk about wanting greater influence with executive management. We want to be involved earlier in business decisions, have operating leaders seek … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Accumen, Career Skills, EHS Management, enterprise risk management, Innovation, Leadership, Leading at Scale, Sustainable Strategy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If Everything Still Comes to You, You Haven’t Scaled Leadership

As leadership responsibility grows, working harder and staying involved in everything stops working. Drawing on experience scaling an organization from 15 to 300 people, this article explores how EHS leaders can multiply their impact through people, management systems, governance, delegation, digital tools, and AI—and build an organization capable of making thousands of good decisions every day. Continue reading →

Posted in Business Accumen, EHS Management, enterprise risk management, Leadership, Leading at Scale, operational integrity | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Leonardo’s Lesson: Harmony Begins With Observation

I have been reading Walter Isaacson’s biography of Leonardo da Vinci, and it has caused me to think about leadership, observation, and the way human beings fit within the larger order of nature. Leonardo’s genius is obvious, but what interests me most is his method. He studied the world with uncommon curiosity. He observed water, light, motion, anatomy, plants, machines, and the human form with the discipline of both an artist and a scientist.

That is the inspiration for this article. Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man gives us more than an image of proportion. It offers a lens for thinking about harmony, structure, humanity, and the systems we live and work within. For leaders, especially in complex operating environments, there is a practical lesson here: observe deeply before acting, understand the pattern before changing the work, and make sure strategy survives contact with operational reality. Continue reading →

Posted in Career Skills, EHS Management, Leadership, Personal Growth, Professional Skills, Sustainability Leadership | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

EHS Data Analysis Heuristics: Turning Performance Data Into Better Decisions

By Chet Brandon EHS data is only useful when it helps leaders make better decisions and take timely action. Incident reports, corrective action records, hazard observations, audit findings, injury data, exposure information, and corrective action trends all contain signals. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Career Skills, EHS Management, EHS Skills 101, enterprise risk management, Ethics, Leadership | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Decision-Ready Information: The Modern Standard for Leadership in Complex Organizations

Organizations are drowning in information and starving for judgment.

My latest article on LeadingEHS.com explores the concept of decision-ready information and compares it to the classic management discipline of completed staff work.

The core idea is simple: leaders do not need more dashboards, alerts, reports, or raw data. They need information that has been interpreted, contextualized, risk-ranked, and shaped into clear options and recommendations.

This discipline matters across EHS, sustainability, operations, cybersecurity, process safety, and enterprise governance. Whether we are dealing with AIoT signals, process safety data, ESG disclosures, or operational risk indicators, the challenge is the same:

-What is happening
-Why does it matter
-What could happen next
-What should we do?

Decision-ready information converts complexity into accountable leadership action. Continue reading →

Posted in Business Accumen, EHS Management, Leadership, Professional Skills, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Discipline of Space: What Miles Davis’ Music Continues to Teach Me

Leadership is a personal journey. Clarity, inspiration, and insight do not come only from books, meetings, metrics, or formal training. They come from many parts of life—music, art, reflection, relationships, struggle, and the quiet moments that help us see ourselves more clearly.

My recent article reflects on how Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue continues to teach me about restraint, space, discipline, focus, and renewal.

Sometimes the lessons that shape us most arrive from unexpected places. Continue reading →

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Cyber-Physical Risk in the Age of AI: How Safety Professionals Help Directors Make Better Operational Technology Investment Decisions – Part 4

As the final article in this four-part series, Fay Feeney and I bring the conversation into the boardroom. Operational technology is no longer just an engineering concern—it is a governance test. As AI-enabled assets reshape industrial operations, directors are approving new risk profiles, resilience assumptions, and value-creation models. Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Artificial Intelligence, EHS Management, enterprise risk management, Leadership, Machine Learning, Sustainability Leadership | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Empowering Future Leaders: EHS Drives Business Success and Offers Rewarding Careers!

You never know where your career journey will take you or how the connections you make will circle back in surprising and meaningful ways. Recently, I had the privilege of reconnecting with Fred Eilts, a fellow senior leader from my … Continue reading →

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