Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Scott Cochrane
Data Center Boom: The Opportunity
AI is digital. Heat is physical. The controls industry has a direct role in the infrastructure that connects them. Every watt used by a server eventually becomes heat. Removing it has always mattered in a data center, but the higher densities associated with AI are changing where heat is captured and how cooling systems must respond. For building automation professionals, the opportunity lies in making those systems dependable, from the rack to the cooling plant.
Data Center Boom: The Opportunity
AI is digital. Heat is physical. The controls industry has a direct role in the infrastructure that connects them. Every watt used by a server eventually becomes heat. Removing it has always mattered in a data center, but the higher densities associated with AI are changing where heat is captured and how cooling systems must respond. For building automation professionals, the opportunity lies in making those systems dependable, from the rack to the cooling plant.
Over-solving: what it is, how it happens, and why it hurts your leadership
Adobe Summarize with ChatGPT In your leadership, have you ever been guilty of over-solving a problem? Over-solving a problem is when you have squandered precious resources in a way wholly disproportionate to the size of the problem you were addressing. Over-solving a problem happens when you invest too much time, too much money, and too much organizational energy toward a problem that simply did not warrant that level of attention.
Building real courage: 3 truths every leader should hear
Adobe Summarize with ChatGPT The idea of the "fearless leader" owes more to myth than it does to leadership reality. The goal is not to be fearless, the goal is to be courageous. There's a world of difference. A fascinating conversation I had with a professional athlete painted a vivid picture of this. During my college days, I supported myself by working as a sports writer.
Ready to lead with speed? 4 signs you should act now
Adobe Summarize with ChatGPT Knowing the pace at which you take action as a leader is often as important as the action itself. Sometimes you need to kick your leadership into high gear, and lead with speed. Such was the case during a visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when I encountered a most unusual travel experience.
Niagara 5, Cloud Evolution, and the Shift Toward Intelligent Buildings
2026 | Reflections from the Niagara Summit I’ve been attending Niagara Summits and industry events long enough to recognize when something feels like a turning point. This year was one of those moments. The conversations weren’t just about product updates or incremental improvements. They were about architecture shifts, data strategy, AI readiness, and what it actually means to run buildings in a cloud-connected world.
How great leaders measure their success daily
Adobe Summarize with ChatGPT Wherever you lead, and in whatever capacity, there is one question that should be top of mind when the day is done. "Did I lead well today?" If you can't answer that question clearly and definitively each and every day, what was the point of all of that leadership energy you expended? What was the point of all of those decisions you made? What was the point of all of those Zoom meetings, the phone calls and the emails?
How to turn casual talks into visionary moments
Summarize with ChatGPT The power of how you communicate as a leader is not limited to the great vision-casting speeches you make. Much of your impact takes place in your day-to-day conversations. Effective leaders know that there are no throw-away moments when it comes to communication. Every passing word, every conversation, no matter how brief or how seemingly inconsequential, carries the potential to create shockwaves of positive impact.
The power of courage: 3 qualities every leader should master
Adobe Summarize with ChatGPT In challenging times, leaders are called upon to exhibit inspiring levels of courage. But finding the ways to develop such courage can be a leader's greatest challenge. The traditional approach to courageous leadership has often been found in such qualities as bravado, fearlessness and sheer power of will. But today's leadership landscape has changed, and with it has emerged far more effective, and often unrecognized, pathways to courage.
5 Hidden Forces That Will Undermine Your Leadership Decisions
Like Don't move Unlike 0 Without good judgement, you can’t have good leadership. Because good judgement is the foundation to making good decisions. Good judgement allows you to size up a challenging situation, and to make the right call. Good judgement allows you to examine a fork-in-the-road moment and to discern the appropriate path. And because good judgement is so vital a component in leadership, any dynamic that can weaken your judgement must be quickly identified, and eliminated.
10 unexpected leadership qualities I need on my team
Adobe Summarize with ChatGPT The starting place for building an effective "dream team" is in having a crystal-clear picture of the qualities you want in the people.
The Quiet Signals Every Great Leader Notices (That Others Miss)
Like Don't move Unlike 1 Highly effective leaders have an advanced ability to read the room, to sense what’s going on in the organization and to intuitively know what needs to happen next. And they can do all of this with little to no data and no spreadsheets. This is called Leadership Intelligence, and if you’re going to lead effectively in today’s volatile and unpredictable environment, it’s an essential skill.
Clear thinking: your secret weapon against leadership stress
Summarize with ChatGPT Leaders solve problems. And whatever problem you're facing, clarifying your thinking is always the first step to move you towards a solution. Such clarity of thought became something of a lifeline when I encountered a serious problem in the arrivals area of a small airport in an impoverished country in east Africa. As I made my way from my plane to the dull, gray cinder-block Arrivals area, I knew that the visa I would require would cost $200 US.
Innovate, don’t imitate: 3 essential tips to evade copy-cat leadership
Adobe Summarize with ChatGPT One of the best ways to develop in your leadership is to learn from other leaders. One of the worst ways is to merely copy these great leaders. Growing leaders will read about other great leaders, will seek to discern their leadership traits, even emulate their leadership skills. Copy-cat leaders do little more than mimic someone else's leadership style.
Unleashing excellence: leveraging consistent leadership for peak performance
Adobe To unleash the full potential of your team, don't underestimate the power of simple consistency in your leadership. This is not to say that boring routine is the answer. Nor is it to dismiss the role of a dynamic personality. But teams simply thrive under the kind of leadership that is rock solid, and dependable. How does that happen? If you want your leadership to bring out the best in your team, you need to demonstrate consistency in four specific ways: #1 You need a consistent temperament.
The leader’s guide to mental resilience: strategies for unwavering focus
Adobe Effective leadership requires focus. To make the timely decision, to accurately assess a complex situation, or to quickly respond to a looming problem, the leader must be fully dialed in and singularly focused on the issue at hand. Just as driving while distracted drastically diminishes the ability to drive well, so too does distracted leadership prevent you from leading at your best. But in today's increasingly distracted culture, that kind of focus is tough to maintain.
Navigating the leadership pipeline: best practices for talent identification
Adobe As a leader, nothing you do will ensure long-term impact like finding and developing emerging leadership talent. Effective leaders are like gold-miners, always looking for the next "rising star" on the team. Rising stars are those members of your team who are exhibiting ever-increasing passion, desire, and most importantly, results. So, how do you actually spot them? What are the tell-tale signs effective leaders look for when they are prospecting for the emerging leaders on the team?
The art of adapting: staying fresh in your leadership
Adobe In leadership, there's nothing quite like proven, reliable experience. But if you're not careful, all that experience can slide into nothing more than tired staleness. Effective leaders keep their leadership fresh and positive by developing a way of looking at the world that's renewing, and hopeful. It's a counter-intuitive, almost contradictory perspective that prevents reliable experience from becoming tired and obsolete. It's the ability to see the world through 'young eyes'.
Demanding leadership: how to inspire respect and get results without being a jerk
You can be a results-oriented, demanding leader without being a jerk. All too often, being a demanding leader is confused with simply being a jerk. But if you want to see your leadership impact grow, you need to know how to be results-oriented and demanding, without the "jerk factor." Somewhere along the line, what it means to truly be a demanding leader came to be construed as being merely insensitive, uncaring, and boorish.
The fatal flaws of outdated team decision-making methods
Teams don't make decisions. Individuals make decisions. Every decision must have someone's name written next to it. The idea that there is such thing as a "team decision" is one of the biggest myths in leadership. And correcting that myth could represent a significant leadership breakthrough. Someone must own the outcome. Someone must pace around thinking through every ramification and potential hurdle.
5 clear indicators that you’ve taken your eye off the leadership ball
In leadership, one of your most important roles is to ensure that you, and your team, are keeping everyone's eye on the ball at all times. That means providing clarity of focus and helping each person know which priorities require attention. Many years ago this hit me with full force during a particularly hectic season. During this period when I was allowing myself to be distracted by a number of lesser priorities, a department head came to me with a request to re-model their office space.
How to maintain your integrity, even when the cookies look irresistible
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksSubscribeChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile To protect your integrity as a leader, don't focus only on the big, obvious temptations. Watch out for the subtle deceptions. Think of it this way.
10 ways you can spot insecurity in any leader
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksSubscribeChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile "A lot of things can happen when you have an insecure leader.
How to combine passion and discipline for leadership impact
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile It's no secret. Passion is a required trait for any leader. But on its own, passion isn't enough. Passion is certainly required to build a team, to implement change, and to drive towards a better future.
The Fear Factor: How to Turn Anxiety into Action as a Leader
Like Don't move Unlike 0 Whoever coined the phrase “fearless leader” must not have been a leader. Because “fear” and “leadership” go together hand in hand. Talk to any effective leader and they will tell you that fear has been a lifelong companion on their leadership journey. Anytime you push the envelope, launch a new initiative, or stake out new territory, you can be sure there will be an element of fear involved.
How to grow your leadership by overcoming the trouble with titles
If you rely on your title to establish your influence, you can be in for big trouble. Because your title can actually work against your efforts to be an authentic leader. The reality is, relying on your impressive title to establish your credibility can diminish your ability to lead effectively.
How To Unleash the Power of the Spinal Tap Leadership Principle
Like Don't move Unlike 7 Fans of the classic comedy film This is Spinal Tap know exactly what I’m talking about. And with the soon to be release of the long-awaited sequel, now is a good time to dig into a hidden leadership gem contained within this otherwise hilarious comedy film.
How to maximize the impact of “on the way” leadership
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile To increase your sense of satisfaction as a leader, shift your focus away from the destination and focus instead on the journey. Your satisfaction level will soar.
How to build your credibility by eliminating these 5 deadly phrases
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile As a leader, you begin each day with a certain amount of "credibility chips" in your pocket. But if you use any of these phrases, those credibility chips are falling out of your pocket every time.
Why ‘remove negative people from your life’ is terrible advice for leaders
The world may tell you to remove negative people from your life. But if you strive to be a high-impact leader, your goal should be just the opposite. You should be seeking out negative people, and placing yourself directly, and intentionally, in their midst. High-impact leadership requires nothing less of you. High-impact leadership is built on the understanding that your greatest contribution in leadership is to shine your light where it is needed most.
3 times when your best leadership move is to stop
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile The secret to sustainable, effective leadership is not only in knowing when to speed up, and when to slow down. More often you would think, sometimes it's knowing when to stop.
How to develop the 3 essential qualities in kind leadership
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile Leadership legacies are built more on kindness than they are on accomplishments. Kindness is action-oriented, and is an essential component to influencing lasting impact.
How to avoid fire-drill leadership for greater impact
If everything is an emergency, nothing is an emergency. The truth of this leadership axiom is lost on many leaders who seem to lurch their leadership, and their team, from one panic-riddled crisis to another. I was once on a team led by such a leader. "All hands on deck!", "emergency meeting!" and "everyone into the conference room, pronto!" were almost standing orders, seemingly heard on a daily basis. I call this "fire-drill leadership." Everything seems like an emergency.
How bad virtual habits can become powerful leadership tools
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile The leadership habits you developed in the era of virtual meetings can be transformed into powerful leadership skills.
3 Signs It’s Time to Recharge Your Leadership Battery
Like Don't move Unlike 0 When your leadership battery is fully charged, everyone around you wins. The leader sets the emotional and cultural tone for the team. And so when the leader’s personal energy is running strong the entire culture benefits.
How to embrace your fear factor to drive effectiveness
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile Whoever coined the phrase "fearless leader" must not have been a leader. Because "fear" and "leadership" go together hand in hand.
How to unleash the power of the spinal tap leadership principle
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile Leadership requires "10 out of 10" level performance day in and day out. But there are times when a leader must go even beyond "10 out of 10". Sometimes a leader must punch their amp up to "11".
The Top 3 Mistakes Leaders Make During Bad Days
Like Don't move Unlike 0 When your leadership seems like it has hit a slump, it can be tempting to look for any shortcut to get things going again. Slumps can hit any leader, at any time. When that happens there can be a great temptation to avoid the sometimes hard, grueling, long road that leadership often requires. It’s in these seasons of struggle that the lure to take a sneaky leadership shortcut can be almost irresistible.
What Does Leadership Growth Really Look Like? 3 Clear Signs
Like Don't move Unlike 0 You don’t have to guess whether you’re growing as a leader. You can take a simple test to know for sure. Imagine if you could somehow really tell if all the leadership books you are reading and the seminars you are attending are paying off. Without a reliable set of indicators to gauge the impact of your development plan you could be spinning your wheels. On the other hand, when you can recognize the indicators of progress it can give you tremendous personal momentum.
How to build values by ringing the bell for what matters
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile The values on your team or in your organization are not formed by the posters and plaques that hang on the wall. More than any other factor, values are formed by what you celebrate.
How to fix “It doesn’t matter who gets the credit”
You can't build a great team, if you don't know who keeps coming up with all those great ideas. As a leader, you need to know who your big idea generators are. And one of the biggest reasons so many leaders fail to identify their top idea people is because of misunderstanding the phrase, "Just think of what our team can accomplish if no one cares who gets the credit!" That quote is usually attributed to President Harry Truman.
How to use a leadership tuning fork to drive clarity
As a leader, one of the most under-rated instruments in your toolbox is a simple tuning fork. You might not carry the actual instrument with you, but I've learned that watching for "tuning fork moments" can be a crucial leadership tool. I saw this play out in conversation with a teammate who didn't seem to understand the direction our organization was heading. Sensing his confusion, I sat him down one day and helped him get back on track.
3 indicators you need to recharge your leadership battery now
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile When your leadership battery is fully charged, everyone around you wins. The leader sets the emotional and cultural tone for the team.
How to Turn Your Vision into Action with Three Simple Questions
Like Don't move Unlike 1 This article is part of my Global Leadership series; Insights from more than a decade of leadership training around the world… If the leadership vision you are casting is not resulting in movement or action, you are simply sharing nice words. Leadership vision results in action. Whether it was Martin Luther King Jr’s, “I have a dream”, Winston Churchill’s, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, sweat and tears”, or John F.
How 3 inner world strategies can increase your impact
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile The health of your inner-world directly affects your ability to lead effectively. Leaders are often uncomfortable in dealing with their inner world; matters of the heart.
How to build healthy culture in a heated debate
As a leader, your role in building a healthy culture is never more crucial than when entering heated waters. Let's face it; when there are no contentious issues on the table, it's relatively easy to forge an atmosphere of collegiality and even warmth. But when the stakes are high, when issues of vital importance are on the docket, that's when your culture-building skills are put to the test.
Are you absolutely sure you’re leading the right team?
Test Link ArticlesDevotionsVideoseBooksPodcastsChurch SuppliersBook Reviews Home eBooks Devotions Podcasts Articles Church Suppliers Videos Our Writers Topics Servant LeadershipLeadership Development & DiscipleshipConflict & CriticismVision & CultureBook ReviewsMore Topics My Account Profile Every leader leads two teams; there's the team you inherited, and there's the team you built. This key truth has been one of the most important lessons I've ever learned with respect to team leadership.
Five Ways “I’m So Busy” Undermines Your Leadership Credibility
Like Don't move Unlike 23 In a world that has attached a strange nobility to the notion of being busy, effective leaders stand out by avoiding the “I’m so busy” trap. One of the most effective leaders I’ve ever known was highly productive, and yet operated at a pace that was somehow both urgent and yet unhurried. This leader had learned that “I’m so busy” strikes a blow to a leader’s credibility.
10 Unexpected Leadership Qualities I Need On My Team
Like Don't move Unlike 1 The starting place for building an effective “dream team” is in having a crystal clear picture of the qualities you want in the people. If you were to make a list of the attributes you would want on the members of your leadership team you would likely include such characteristics as: Go-getter. Someone who ‘makes it happen’. High achiever. Driven to perform. Results oriented.
4 Simple Tricks to Improve Your Leadership Decisions
Like Don't move Unlike 0 Some of the worst leadership decisions take place simply because the wrong person made the decision. As a leadership mentor told me years ago, “If you’re not clear who is supposed to make the decision, things will get very fuzzy, very fast.” Several years ago the organization I was with had partnered with another organization to present a leadership conference. The schedule was set to go all day Friday and all day Saturday.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Scott
Contact Scott, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack