Cathy Gaynor

LEADERSHIP PRACTICE Periodically throughout the day, pause for a few seconds to observe the flow of your breath.  Become aware of a silent but powerful sense of presence. This exercise can help you relax and open up.  It will bring new insights and choices to the challenges of the day.  It will bring a sense…

LEADERSHIP PRACTICE Rationale: Journaling is an important practice to your leadership development. Research shows that taking just a few minutes each day to make a short journal entry greatly increases your chances of moving beyond just knowing what you would like to do, and actually start doing what you know. Journaling is a tool to…

Are you looking for a good read? Try Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg the current COO of Facebook.  I would highly recommend this book to all men and women in a leadership role as well as all wives, husbands, fathers, and mothers.  I thought I would share a couple of ideas mentioned in the book that really…

LEADERSHIP PRACTICE Take some time this week to truly imagine what it would be like to live the life of someone on your team. Choose someone who lives a different lifestyle than you do (has kids; doesn’t have kids; has a second job; has a disability; takes care of an ailing parent; just started with…

LEADERSHIP PRACTICE Gauge your leadership effectiveness, by rating your employees’ willingness on a scale of always, sometimes, never to the following: My employees willingly embrace our organization’s vision, mission, and values. My employees willingly accept changes in the team or organization. My employees willingly “go the extra mile” for me or for our organization. My…

LEADERSHIP PRACTICE Your personal mission statement, core values, and intentions help you determine your direction. Use these high-level concepts to help you choose the activities and responsibilities that are best aligned with the direction you want to take. Your mission statement should be 1-2 sentences that describe your purpose as it relates to your career…

LEADERSHIP PRACTICE What can you do to dial it back in a way that’s enough but not too much? Put people at ease Ask others what they think Listen to their answers Frame your solutions as questions Share the credit for good ideas Pick your battles Would you rather be effective over the long run…

LEADERSHIP PRACTICE According to a study on effective teams released by the Best Companies Group, the five most crucial components of high-performing teams were: Goal Setting: knowing where you are going Communication: the best use of your eyes, voice, and ears Trust: believing in others and being trustworthy yourself Accountability: doing what you say you…

EXERCISING GOOD JUDGMENT Everyone has heard the word “judgment” and for most of us this word has a negative connotation related to the inevitable unfairness we associate with judging others. What does that really mean? Judgment can be exercised for good, especially in delicate or stressful situations, and in this context it is often referred…