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Latest Posts

About Denise Corcoran

Denise Corcoran works with CEOs and executive teams seeking rapid growth yet are challenged by the “invisible barriers” that keep them stuck, overwhelmed or in crisis mode. Her company —The Empowered Business — is one of the few companies providing whole brain, strategic solutions for unleashing leadership and organizational potential. Her secret sauce is assisting CEOs and executive teams develop the “X factor” – i.e., the mindset, attitudes and game-changing thinking -- that drives double and triple digit growth … by design.

Here are my most recent posts

The One GRAND Leadership Illusion That Sinks Organizations

Leaders lie to themselves.  And they don’t even realize it. 

I know this statement may sound harsh at first.  I ask you to hold your judgment until after you’ve finished the article to understand why.

leadership brainFor example, when a company is stuck or has plateaued, I often hear reasons like …

  • Our company did not grow because of the economy.
  • We need more knowledge or technology to beat our competition.
  • We have to seize every revenue opportunity as it comes our way or we won’t survive.
  • The marketplace is an unfriendly place.

Do any of these sound familiar in your company?

Posted by Denise Corcoran on April 6, 2014 in Emotional Mastery, Goal Achievement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Organizational Performance.

12 Strategic Thinking Questions That Yield Big Results.

The Bonus Question Is The Punch Line.

At the end of every year, I take a personal private retreat to clear my mind, take inventory of the past year and create a new vision for the new year.  Knowing the power of questions, at the start of each retreat, I ask myself …

power of questionsWhat are the 10 most important questions to ask myself in this retreat to take my business (and life) to a more meaningful, impactful and prospering level in the new year?

For 3-4 days, I spend time by the ocean simply reflecting, letting go of any goals, plans or expectations. 

Posted by Denise Corcoran on March 4, 2014 in Change Management, Fast Growth, Goal Achievement, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Organizational Performance, Strategic Thinking, Vision.

How Great Strategic Thinking Leaders Think.

The Finale Says It All.

As a leader, how often do you find yourself …

  • Rodin
    Thinking Behind Strategic Thinking

    Overwhelmed by an overload of demands, not knowing what to respond to first?

  • Continually fighting for certainty, paralyzed by fear of the unknown?
  • Blind sighted by unforseen events that jeopardize your company’s stability and bottomline?

I’m guessing what you really want is to stop your perpetual busyness.  You want to focus on the critical few.   You want to navigate your company, amidst constant change, to its ultimate destination.

In my decades of working with leaders, I have found that the above are symptoms that a leader lacks the capacity to think strategically.

Posted by Denise Corcoran on in Change Management, Fast Growth, Goal Achievement, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation, Strategic Thinking.

Leading From Guts Builds Gutsy Organizations

be fearless“Leading From Guts” drives extraordinary organizations and a company’s distinctive edge in the marketplace.

The inspiration for this article was the movie “The Rosa Parks Story” – a story about a simple seamstress and civil rights activist with unwavering toughness of character that, in 1955, changed the course of history and segregation in the U.S.

Her unwillingness to relinquish her seat on a segregated bus to a white person set in motion a whole chain of catalyzing events – including imprisonment, a boycott of the Montgomery Bus, a new civil rights organization led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a repealing of the segregation law on buses in Montgomery.

Posted by Denise Corcoran on February 4, 2014 in Fast Growth, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Organizational Performance.

Has Fear Stymied Your Leadership Courage?

What You Can Learn From a 4th Grader

Building leadership courage is not as mysterious as it sounds.

The 90 second video below is worth it’s weight in gold about moving forward with courage … even amidst fear and panic.  You can hear the panic and anxiety in this 4th grader  (and also notice her feet).

And you may even notice your own anxiety getting triggered and wondering why she would put herself through such an ordeal.  Yet, in the end, she not only overcomes her fear.  Notice what she says to herself once landing at the bottom.

  • As a leader, what can you learn from this 4th grader?

Posted by Denise Corcoran on in Emotional Mastery, Goal Achievement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation.

When Great Company Cultures Go to the Dark Side

7 Signs Your Organization Is Headed in the Wrong Direction

Has the obsession to create a happy, engaged workforce gone toxic in your company?

shadow sideIs over-emphasizing positive thinking in your company’s culture, actually creating negativity without you even knowing it?

Is having 0% employee turnover actually a good thing to sing high praises about, or is it overshadowing another truth?

These are just a few examples of how companies, even with great cultures, can go to the dark side.

The REAL Truth About Your Company Culture & Its Hidden Shadow Side

Most great cultures are driven by handful of sacred values. 

Posted by Denise Corcoran on January 2, 2014 in Alignment, Assessments, Change Management, Company Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation.

Leading the Way to Greatness and Growth

Secrets of a Seasoned CEO


In July of this past year, I had the honor of meeting Mike Gustafsen, CEO, Virident Systems Technology with seasoned experience in growth driven companies/divsions at the C-level.
  His story as part of a panel discussion at a veteran CEOnetworking event – The Path to the C-Level – left such a strong impression that I asked him for an interview to share his secrets.

In my view, Mike embodies the essence of a great leader – a visionary, strategist, big thinker, leader of leaders, great team and culture builder, global thinker yet down to earth, authentic and the list goes on. 

Posted by Denise Corcoran on in Alignment, Company Culture, Employee Engagement, Fast Growth, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation, Teams, Vision.

Creating a Vision That Pulls Your Company Forward

Re-Imagining New Leadership Possibilities in 2014

possibilitiesIt’s that time of the year!  Most business leaders are preparing for an executive off-site to define their company’s future direction for the new year.

Yet, in my 30 years experience of working with leadership teams and companies, the terms “vision,” “mission” and “values” are THE most overused, misunderstood and abused words in the business community today.

Vision statements, mission statements and strategic plans in many companies reduce to mere academic exercises with no real value in driving an organization forward.  Why?  Let’s take a look.

Why Most Company Visions Get an “F”:  The Big 3

  1. Your company’s vision lacks the necessary specificity and inspiration to pull your company forward.

Posted by Denise Corcoran on December 3, 2013 in Alignment, Employee Engagement, Goal Achievement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation, Vision.

My 12 “Must Read” Best Leadership Books for 2014

With the new year coming, I asked myself … what wisdom could I provide to help leaders change their game in 2014?

Most leaders’ looming questions during this time are …

•    Where do we go from here?
•    What can we do to get to the next level?
•    What are we not being that we need to be?
•    What are we not doing that we need to do?

While there are many classic leadership books that are still relevant today – like Good to Great and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – and a flooded market of other business books, I wanted to share ….

Posted by Denise Corcoran on November 30, 2013 in Fast Growth, Goal Achievement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation, Organizational Transformation.

The Secret to Hiring Top-Performing Employees

One CEO Spills the Beans

As mentioned in our article “The Shocking Costs of Hiring Mistakes … And The Secrets to Avoiding Them,  too many hiring decisions are based solely on past experience and current skills without any regard to the real drivers - – mindset and “fit” – – of top performance.

With permission to reprint his article “Hire for Will;  Teach the Skill,” Ron Alvesteffer, CEO, SEI Service Express, Inc., shares how his company hires top-performing employees – – his secret to achieving SEI growth goals and cultivating an exceptional organizational culture.  Enjoy his wisdom!

(Reprinted with permission from March 27, 2013)

Hire The Will; Teach the Skill

by Ron Alvesteffer

It’s a phrase I often use with leaders at SEI, particularly when they’re recruiting for talent at our organization.

Posted by Denise Corcoran on November 4, 2013 in Assessments, Hiring Practices, Leadership Performance, Organizational Performance, Top Talent.