It happens in my sessions all the time. Well intended leaders gather and generate a list of “issues” they need to solve to clear the way and reduce the friction on the business for everyone else involved. So why is it they can’t focus and stay on track once it’s time to dig in and solve them? It’s the same…
Meaningful dialog changes outcomes. It can alter the message and the messenger. Often, we miss the openings and are too busy with our own agenda to hear the other person’s pain, challenge, or the exact message being conveyed because we are triggered (emotionally hijacked) by some part of what’s being said. My daughters were having a tough conversation between themselves…
What’s your job? It’s a vocation, a way to make money, an expression of your identity, an extension of your talents, an inroad to community and a source of pride. It can be exhilarating, challenging, exhausting, exciting, fulfilling and excruciating. It can be a source of all things to fill your ego and maintain your identity and it can be…
Who are you? Minus what you do, what you produce, minus your title; who are you? It’s a big question, can you be still enough to answer it? Will you remain quiet, uncomfortable, and open to all that floods into your brain like a freight train out of control to sit with the question? For the doers, the list makers,…
One of the requests I make at the workshops I lead is to “be willing to receive as much as you give.” Believe it or not, this is a challenge for many leaders. Are you a good receiver? When people compliment you, do you immediately reciprocate with a compliment back out of habit, obligation or discomfort? Many people do. Do…
I was connecting with a friend and colleague and during our discussion offered some feedback. I shared I hadn’t wanted to burden her with a request as she seemed busy because she hadn’t responded to prior emails. She seemed taken aback and apologized, not wanting to project that image. I could totally relate. When I’m truly executing to the max…
There’s nothing solid that will come of “squishy” commitments. When I’m working with EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) leadership teams, we spend a great deal of time working on concrete language and it becomes a superpower once you learn it. The world at large is “squishy.” What I mean by that is it is more common to encounter people who communicate…
If you’re busy over-discussing an issue, concern, or complaint, often the simplest question to ask is: “What do you want?” When you can answer the question honestly, it prompts two things – answers and actions. Often, when I’m facilitating sessions with teams and it’s time to solve issues, they drift off into an explanation of the situation. Once a little…
You owe yourself one hour a day of self-maintenance. It can include reading, writing, yoga, exercise, dancing, meditation, painting, or whatever, but you owe it to yourself. One hour, 1/24 of your day. That’s less than 5%. It matters, it really does. Make it count. At one point in my life, I read this and yet I still couldn’t find an…
Extending grace offers new pathways. When you can remain curious during challenging times keeping an open mind and an open heart, a new space for trust emerges. The world is not either/or. The mindset necessary to traverse great divides in opinion, perspective and beliefs is a tricky balance of suspending what you believe long enough to consider an alternate point…