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I am surprised how often I have a strong opinion about things I know little or nothing about. When I find myself in that situation, it seems that my lack of knowledge is not a hindrance; I repeat my strong opinion over and over, with greater confidence each time. I stand my ground, often standing…

“Psychological safety” is a term used to describe the safety in groups which allows the openness for sharing ideas and surfacing conflict. Although there is no OSHA-like agency that governs and monitors the safety of our emotions and feelings in the workplace, both contemporary leaders and generations of past leaders have valued psychological safety in…

If you had the chance to go to space, would you? And would you go with three complete strangers? A man named Jared Isaacman did just that – he was the mission commander of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Inspiration4, the first human spaceflight to orbit Earth with only private citizens on board. The Netflix…

I recently remembered what I believe was a Billy Graham quote that appeared in the newspaper when I was a kid that said essentially, “A person of integrity behaves the same way 50 miles from home as they do when they are home.” This served as a timely reminder to me to check if I…

One of the most common complaints of the workforce today is not feeling heard or understood by one’s manager.  It sounds like this: “My boss doesn’t listen to me.” “My manager doesn’t understand what it’s like.” “My supervisor isn’t open to my perspective.” “I wish I had more of a say in _____” (fill in…

Without looking it up, did you know what “sod casting” is? I first heard the word in a TED talk about leaders who actively broadcast their message from a self-centered, egotistical style. You might know the type … he or she probably has a blog. 😉 I immediately visualized spreading out a new lush green…

If you’re not familiar with thermodynamics (no judgment!), the field has defined four laws that help explain temperature, heat, work and energy. The second law, most applicable to leadership and development, is tricky despite its simplicity. It’s often expressed as a simple truth: Energy is converted through work, yet you never get the same level…

Let’s face it: no matter the type of relationship, there’s going to be conflict – and that’s okay. In fact, it’s expected. It should even be welcomed. Not all of us are comfortable with conflict, however, including myself. One common approach to conflict, and my personal favorite, is “I don’t want to make waves.” Unfortunately,…

At the end of June, Greg and I moved out of the home we’ve shared for 16 years. Prior to the move, it was seven months of sorting, organizing, disposing, donating, packing. I rank moving right up there with the night before a colonoscopy, putting on a bathing suit for the first time of the…

We all have moments when we are either wrong or misguided. And it is our admission that creates learning and wisdom. Our inability to be okay with this idea keeps us from learning. It keeps the emotions trapped, and prevents us from being present and stepping further into our greatness.

As a leadership development specialist and certified executive coach, I work with leaders who are interested in scaling their leadership. Scaling leadership is defined as building organizational capacity to create outcomes that matter most. The scope of development is typically in three focus areas: The leader as an individual The leader’s team(s) The organization the…

Like so many of us, 2020 found me hunkering down and protecting myself by retreating to my cave. This move was necessary to keep me and my family safe, but it had some limitations as relates to growth. As things have been opening up and I am feeling safer out in the world, I am…

I’m not really much of a gamer; my history with Activision and Atari 2600 gaming systems will either date me or render me seriously retro-cool. One of my favorite video games of all time, however, was Pitfall. In Pitfall, the player was a jungle explorer-type of character attempting to navigate around, over and through various…

Sometimes when I reflect upon my own thoughts and actions, I have to laugh a little – that laugh we use to mask critical judgment, the one that says somehow we knew better, somehow we’d been there before, yet here we are repeating the same folly. It seems that it would be infinitely easier to…

We put a tremendous amount of effort into developing relationships in our lives – whether with family, friends or key stakeholders in our organization. Developing consistent relationship-strengthening activities with people is also vitally important.  We often tend to neglect nurturing the relationships that are closest to us, and therefore most critical for our collective success…

Moving up in the organization is an exciting time. Promotions offer more responsibilities, interesting challenges, and often a higher salary. And if you’re on that track, it’s inevitable that your peers may one day be your direct reports … which can be awkward at best, and distractingly uncomfortable at worst. The stakes get even higher…

As many of you know, I enjoy experimenting with fun and reliable ways to remember ideas that help me be a more effective leader, and to perform at higher levels as a coach, leader, spouse, father, and community leader. This led me to my latest experiment, the Five F’s of performance – Focus, Faith, Flow,…

This is going to sound like “coach blasphemy,” but I am going to pose the question anyway: how well do goals work? I’ve seen goal-setting work incredibly well for some people, but in all honesty, I’m not one of them. Do they work for you? If not, I may have an explanation … and an…

Leadership, team, and organizational development efforts are often challenged by being disconnected from the strategy of the organization, too content-centered, and not adaptable to changing needs of a dynamic environment. Development occurs through many different yet integrated methods. While formal training is one aspect, it is only a piece of what people need to flourish…

Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was a British middle-distance athlete and neurologist who ran the first sub-4-minute mile. He did so after being told it couldn’t be done. Who is your Roger Bannister, the person who makes the impossible seem possible to you? And how can you start becoming your own Roger, thinking bigger and embracing possibilities…

The acronym VUCA has gained modern popularity, and there’s little mystery as to why: has there been a time in recent history when Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity were in such abundance? Considering that this acronym was coined as recently as 1987 – drawing on the leadership theories of Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus and…

I got really irritated the other day because the new pair of pants I purchased – and had worn only once! – got ruined. My dog Halo, in all his joy to see me walk through the door, jumped up on me and his nails snagged the fabric. Honestly, I was really mad, but not…

Life during a pandemic is extraordinarily complex. Processes, rituals, and daily habits we once took for granted have been sabotaged by complications and changes invariably leading to more complications and changes. That complexity – the addition of multiple interconnected parts into our daily lives – can be challenging on many levels. New information may be…