Articles

Transparent Leadership Brene Brown’s work on vulnerability has been showing up frequently in the news and on social media. I enjoy her work tremendously and am aligned with much of her research and her vision around what is needed by leadership. I prefer the word transparency rather than vulnerability; vulnerability seems almost too personal for…

Driven. “Relentlessly compelled by the need to accomplish a goal; very hard-working and ambitious.” Most of the leaders we work with are driven, and that drive brings fulfillment to our mission – that drive, if you will, drives us. Driven leaders are clear about outcomes; they are bold at facing development gaps (most of the…

I recently came across yet another book about leadership, written by a former college president and an assigned reading from my daughter Sophie’s freshman year of business school. When I inquired if she would mind if I borrowed the book, I also asked what she thought about it. Not unlike her father, she is quick…

Restorative practices are those habitual activities we intentionally engage in for the purpose of recharging our energy. Not unlike rechargeable batteries, our performance requires our bodies, minds, hearts and souls to have an opportunity to rest and recharge; otherwise our resilience will be weak and we’ll get “tapped out” sooner than we’d like. And not…

Whenever our family watches a superhero movie, inevitably we ask each other, “What would you want your superpower to be?” My wife always chooses the classic ability to fly. My son invariably requests multiple powers so he doesn’t have to choose, while my answer has always been the ability to read the bad guy’s mind.…

A podcast, an article, and a book: Finding inner inspiration out there In the recent weeks of quarantine living and Zoom working, I’ve realized how much inspiration can be found in our quiet moments of self-care – those activities in which we engage to both relax and re-energize. Those activities, for me, typically include listening…

It’s not easy being a leader today. It could be argued that it’s never easy to be a leader, but it remains essential regardless – and part of what makes one is the acceptance of that knowledge. I learned much of what I know about leadership from my mother. She passed away a little over…

“Normal” is generally defined as usual, typical, or expected. It’s the general sense of routine and expectancy we’ve developed through the years that provides a stability to our lives … and our lives since COVID-19 have been anything but usual, typical, or expected. We continue to isolate ourselves in hopes of “flattening the curve,” and…

During this time of working from home and dealing with challenges of connecting with your teams, co-workers, peers, and clients, appreciation and encouragement are critical. Even our families need that support, as we are challenged to be at home working and schooling together. In “The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace” by Gary Chapman…

I scheduled a doctor’s appointment today after a week of not feeling quite right, unsure as to whether it was related to a recent procedure, diet, or my body just breaking down. I was able to get an appointment with short notice and was glad I did – not so much for the medical treatment…

As leaders, we’re tasked with having many different types of conversations – including praise, recognition, direction, and corrective action, to name just a few. However, many of the conversations we think about having can be challenging for us and actually, for want of a better term, go “missing.” There are many names for these “missing”…

Along with the flu, colds, and the coronavirus, something else is going around: frustration. Business leaders are dealing with their own frustrations and the frustrations of the people they are leading, and some days, this can feel overwhelming. People are often frustrated with colleagues not meeting deadlines, bosses tolerating underperformers, customers taking advantage, co-workers talking…

We are an achievement-oriented society. In many cases, it’s how we measure success, growth, and overall status. It can propel us toward advancement and be the impetus for needed changes in our lives. As leaders, we employ that drive to achieve in our efforts to bring the best out of our employees. As employees, we…

While my children were home for the holidays, we had a few opportunities to discuss some pretty substantive issues – potentially controversial issues about diversity, inclusion, capitalism, and politics. These are heavy and complex topics that are difficult to begin to understand, let alone get agreement on. One of the conversations my son Renny and…

Time management is a constant requirement for just about anyone, and certainly for leaders and members of teams in high performing organizations. We keep full schedules with the intention of being responsible, productive and accountable – to ourselves, to the relationships we have on teams, and to the metrics and objectives of our organizations. However,…

This is the time of year, as I’m sure many of you can relate, when I do some decluttering: closets, drawers, files, clothes, shoes, you name it. I also target a special poly project folder that holds my key documents, including my weekly calendar, my values written out, declarations for the week, a couple of…