Blog

Before You Build, Get Clear

By Peter DiGiammarino

Before You Build, Get Clear AI makes it easier than ever to build, prototype, and automate. It does not make it any less important to think. When the cost of building drops, the cost of building the wrong thing rises. Remember Peter Drucker’s aphorism that ends wtih “… are you doing the right thing?” That is … Continue reading Before You Build, Get Clear

Finding the CEO for What Comes Next

By Peter DiGiammarino

An IntelliVen Insight by Eric Palmer. AI is not a feature cycle. It is a reset of SaaS economics. Eric Palmer, a highly successful Senior Operating Partner with more than 30 years of experience leading private, public, private equity-owned, and venture-backed companies, recently shared what he is seeing across  software businesses. Eric uses and has … Continue reading Finding the CEO for What Comes Next

Time Horizon Discipline

By Peter DiGiammarino

Leaders often say: “We don’t have enough time.” “We’re far from our goals.” “Everything feels urgent.” Most of the time, the issue is not time. It is a mismatch between the decision and the planning horizon. Manage to Lead is built on clarity and disciplined change. Time horizon discipline is part of that clarity. Different … Continue reading Time Horizon Discipline

When Attention Is the Constraint, Focus the Work and the Reviews

By Peter DiGiammarino

Most things go wrong because leaders are spread too thin, not because the work is impossible. When the volume of initiatives outstrips reviewer capacity, important items get little or no attention. Meetings slip. Mental presence drops. The fix is to match what we take on to the attention we can invest, and to raise the … Continue reading When Attention Is the Constraint, Focus the Work and the Reviews

The Architecture of Resilience: How Early Labor Silences Fear in High-Stakes Leadership

By Peter DiGiammarino

By: Richard Block From a very early age, working was a given. It was simply what you did. In reflecting on these early experiences and contrasting them with the lives of my children and grandchildren, I see a significant divide. The loss isn’t just in the paycheck; it is in the “patterns of behavior” that … Continue reading The Architecture of Resilience: How Early Labor Silences Fear in High-Stakes Leadership

From Tool to Teammate: Six Practices That Make AI Work for Us

By Peter DiGiammarino

At IntelliVen, we work from a defined body of leadership and management practice: the Manage to Lead (MtL) System. It is documented in our text, taught in our classes, and organized into more than sixty tools and templates and 70 insights and tutorials. We use these tools every day with clients and trainees and we are … Continue reading From Tool to Teammate: Six Practices That Make AI Work for Us

When there’s no right answer: get input, get commitment, then decide

By Peter DiGiammarino

Calls about who the team counts on for what are hard. Leaders worry about making valued people feel overlooked or diminished. Direct reports mostly want clarity, fair reasoning, and as much scope and recognition as they can reasonably earn. This post offers a way to handle those tensions: get input one-on-one, secure commitment to support … Continue reading When there’s no right answer: get input, get commitment, then decide

Say the Same Words. Mean the Same Things.

By Peter DiGiammarino

Walk into almost any leadership meeting and you will hear the same words: Vision. Strategy. Mandate. Values. Culture. Everyone nods. Everyone is confident they understand. Then you listen a little longer and realize something important: People are using the same words to mean different things … and different words to mean the same things. That … Continue reading Say the Same Words. Mean the Same Things.

Steering Committees: Engaging Stakeholders for Guidance, Commitment, and Growth

By Peter DiGiammarino

Note: A complementary reading for MtL Module 8 Get Help Leaders who “get help” know success comes not from going it alone but from surrounding themselves with structures that strengthen thinking, accountability, and action. In Manage to Lead, we emphasize the value of an Accountability Board, Advisory Board, Coach, and Peer Group. There is another … Continue reading Steering Committees: Engaging Stakeholders for Guidance, Commitment, and Growth

Process Maps Turn Confusion Into Clarity

By Peter DiGiammarino

Participants in IntelliVen’s Manage to Lead (MtL) program sometimes ask: “Why do we need to work on process maps?” It’s a fair question. The answer is that process mapping is not theory or busywork — it’s a practical tool you use on your own organization to turn hidden confusion into shared clarity. What follows explains … Continue reading Process Maps Turn Confusion Into Clarity

Use the IntelliVen Operations Advisor GPT to GET CLEAR and ALIGN

By Peter DiGiammarino | July 10, 2025

IntelliVen Manage to Lead tools now run on AI. Meet the IntelliVen Operations Advisor (IVOA) GPT. Tap into your familiar Mandate, WHAT-WHO-WHY, and Change Framework tools right inside ChatGPT—guided by our AI-trained Manage to Lead logic. It’s free for now—try it today: Go to: intelliven.com and open the RESOURCES menu tab. Select: IVOA  (you may … Continue reading Use the IntelliVen Operations Advisor GPT to GET CLEAR and ALIGN

Don’t go to the conference stupid!

By Peter DiGiammarino | December 4, 2024

While it’s possible that a qualified sales prospect might be seated next to you at a conference session or visit your booth, relying solely on chance encounters isn’t a smart strategy. The odds are just too slim to make random interactions a primary reason for attending. The true value of attending an industry conference multiplies … Continue reading Don’t go to the conference stupid!

Timeless Leadership Lessons for Success

By Peter DiGiammarino | September 30, 2024

Certain principles stand out as fundamental to achieving sustained success in leadership and team performance. They offer practical guidance to help leaders, teams, and organizations reach their potential to perform and grow. Here are ten such principles to apply for long-term growth and performance: Complement your strengths with those of others. No one achieves much … Continue reading Timeless Leadership Lessons for Success

Selling Your Company: Ten Lessons for a CEO-Owner

By Peter DiGiammarino | September 24, 2024

While selling your company can be exhilarating, it’s also fraught with potential missteps. A savvy CEO-owner understands that careful preparation and discipline are crucial in turning a potential triumph into a true success, rather than a costly disappointment. These ten tips, distilled from years of experience on both sides of deals, won’t guarantee success—but they … Continue reading Selling Your Company: Ten Lessons for a CEO-Owner

Why It’s Hard to Keep Three Things in Mind at Once—and How W-W-W Makes It Possible

By Peter DiGiammarino | September 20, 2024

Leaders and teams often juggle multiple priorities at once, but maintaining focus on three completely different things simultaneously—especially for extended periods—is much harder than it seems. This challenge isn’t just anecdotal; it’s rooted in how our brains process information. And this is precisely why frameworks like W-W-W (WHAT-WHO-WHY) are so critical, yet often underutilized. The … Continue reading Why It’s Hard to Keep Three Things in Mind at Once—and How W-W-W Makes It Possible

W-W-W and Go-to-Market Fit: Essential Partners for Success

By Peter DiGiammarino | September 20, 2024

As organizations grow, leaders are often faced with strategic questions that may seem similar but address different parts of the business. One question that often comes up is whether frameworks like W-W-W (WHAT-WHO-WHY) and concepts like go-to-market fit are two ways of addressing the same challenge, or if they are fundamentally different. Given the increasing … Continue reading W-W-W and Go-to-Market Fit: Essential Partners for Success

Understanding Two Perspectives: Differentiating the MtL WHY and Sinek’s Why

By Peter DiGiammarino | September 18, 2024

In business and leadership, understanding your “Why” is pivotal for success and meaningful connections. This newsletter compares two distinct perspectives—the MtL WHY and Simon Sinek’s Why—that drive your organization’s purpose and strategy. The MtL WHY: Understanding Your Customer The Manage to Lead (MtL) WHY is based on the principles outlined in the book Manage to … Continue reading Understanding Two Perspectives: Differentiating the MtL WHY and Sinek’s Why

How to run a meeting.

By Peter DiGiammarino | September 4, 2024

Effective meeting management increases organization performance and efficiency. Conversely, poorly managed meetings drain resources and hinder progress. This post explores the three stages of a successful meeting, outlines key meeting roles, and provides strategies to develop and implement a robust meeting plan that enhances the likelihood of success. Stages of an Effective Meeting All meetings … Continue reading How to run a meeting.

Business Writing Tips

By Peter DiGiammarino | September 2, 2024

Collected from various sources over a lifetime, these tips will help you write clearly and avoid misunderstandings: Writing Style Use present tense. Avoid words ending in -ing, -ly (e.g., really), or -y (e.g., very). Avoid words with a “z” (e.g., utilize). Do not use contractions. Frame points positively. Avoid hedging language like “possibly,” “perhaps,” or … Continue reading Business Writing Tips

Contract & Govern: The Keys to Leadership Success

By Peter DiGiammarino | August 9, 2024

A leader’s success hinges on two critical responsibilities: Achieving clarity about what they want from each team member. Effectively communicating their clarity. Too often, leaders neglect to take the time to define their expectations, leading to confusion and misalignment within the team. Stephen Covey’s principle of “Begin with the End in Mind” underscores the importance … Continue reading Contract & Govern: The Keys to Leadership Success

Ensuring Progress on Strategic Initiatives Amid Daily Pressures

By Eric Palmer | July 26, 2024

A common challenge faced by leaders is the struggle to advance strategic initiatives due to the overwhelming demands of day-to-day responsibilities. This issue often arises because initiatives are viewed as discretionary tasks rather than integral components of job roles. Addressing this requires a shift in perception and management strategy to ensure that strategic objectives are … Continue reading Ensuring Progress on Strategic Initiatives Amid Daily Pressures

Unlock Your Potential with Manage to Lead: The Path to Breakthrough Performance

By Peter DiGiammarino | July 18, 2024

A staggering 97% of employees and executives believe that a lack of alignment within a team adversely affects the outcomes of tasks or projects (McKinsey).  While business leaders agree that clarity and alignment are crucial for growth, research also indicates that less than 33% of top teams are fully aligned across operating functions. In this context, … Continue reading Unlock Your Potential with Manage to Lead: The Path to Breakthrough Performance