Articles/Blog

Leading by Fergi – Lesson #3: When Will We Get There?

Mondays are agility training night for Fergi and me. Agility is a sport that requires a dog and his handler to negotiate an obstacle course, racing against a clock and completing the obstacles correctly and in the designated order. It’s funny; we call it “dog training,” but it’s primarily “people training.” Classes are intended to…

Continue reading...

Finish

What is it about finishing? I find myself asking that question a lot lately as my son finishes his junior year of high school. While it is not always easy to get started, it seems that many people have even more trouble finishing. Many of us are in a hurry to leave whatever we’re doing…

Continue reading...

Leading by Fergi – Lesson #2: Let me fail, I will succeed. Just trust me.

In the agility world, a significant amount of training time is spent on “handling.” Handling includes hand signals, body positioning, or other moves I use to show Fergi where we are going on the obstacle course; there is a variety of such signals, positioning and moves that all mean different things. We recently learned a…

Continue reading...

Detaching From Outcomes

“What? How can it be valuable if I don’t get the outcome I want?” I remember my first reaction to what appeared to be this outrageous and unrealistic idea of not being attached to the outcome. How can that be? How can I achieve my goals and stay focused if I am not attached to…

Continue reading...

Do you trust?

From the first time we’re tossed in the air as a baby – and caught – to the first time our own babies are tossed in the air – and caught – we are learning about trust … the trust we have in others, and the trust others have in us. Beginning with that relationship…

Continue reading...

Your Car Connection

So many of us with busy schedules are finding less and less time to connect with our significant relationships. Over the past couple years, I have found that some of the best connections with my people have happened in the car; using that time between activities and commitments to connect and be present with each…

Continue reading...

Leading by Fergi – Lesson #1; What’s Most Important (and it’s not me)

Like most of you, every day I’m learning something new about what it really takes to be a great leader.  I’ve invested a staggering amount of time and money reading and taking classes, I’ve applied what I’ve learned successfully and not so successfully, and – as cliché as it sounds – I’ve learned most from…

Continue reading...

Too Much Data, Not Enough Information

We are overwhelmed and consistently inundated with so much data that we overthink almost everything. We find ourselves trapped in our heads – virtually disconnected from our bodies, and consequently not engaged in enough feeling or intuiting as part of our process of interacting and deciding. We find ourselves somewhere other than the present. And…

Continue reading...

Relationships are a marathon … not a sprint.

In my moving-fast, “get it done” plan of action for this week, I once again overlooked a fundamentally important element of that plan – I forgot to take the time in my significant relationship to share our mutual intention. It then seems less like an intention and more like me, barking orders or giving suggestions…

Continue reading...

Why Team’s Don’t Work

It starts with the Declaration of Independence, moves to the Protestant work ethic, and is followed by Hoover’s “rugged individualism.” Let’s not forget class ranking, top sales reps, and all of the other things that focus on individual effort, achievement, and an overall emphasis on independence rather than interdependence. It helps me understand the statement…

Continue reading...