Autumn in Minnesota is filled with transition. Green morphs into vibrant oranges, reds and golds, with crisp air opening and closing our days. It’s a time of anticipating sweaters while also hanging onto the lingering days of the summer. It’s a time where things speed up from the more relaxed pace of summer and speed into the holidays and the realization of…
What if the “great resignation” was actually the single biggest opportunity for the “great elevation?” What if this time in history was an opportunity to realign ourselves with our highest and best use? To design and live successful, fulfilling lives inside and outside of work? What if instead of worrying about attracting talent, we magnified meaning at work by including more voices, amplifying…
Don’t let yourself and your team go on autopilot. I was facilitating a session and the leaders came in on the second day of their annual planning ready to go. What I mean is, two of them were simmering overnight – and came in disrupted and ready to challenge the rest of the leadership team. I loved it. They challenged…
I’ve been working with this team for years and they sailed through their first day of planning. This was a first. They typically struggle to focus, but not this time. They disconnected from their electronics, and we took more frequent breaks – game changer! What I’ve observed with hundreds of teams is a simple, but profound strategy for better focused…
It’s started. My busiest time of year for work has arrived. I look forward to it with both a passion and some level of dread. September is always a mixed bag that way for me. Moving from the easier, more social, warm pace of summer to the hustle back to school, fall and then the rush to the holidays. It’s a…
What if you approached every conversation as if it could become the most important conversation you might ever have? How would your meetings flow – online or in person? How would your primary relationships feel? How would your friends interact with you? What difference would it make with your kids/young people in your life? How would people experience you as a leader? How would your…
David Cooperrider said, “Our organizational lives and the lives of others flourish or flounder one conversation at a time.” To consider the magnitude of this statement leaves me thinking of how often I casually talk and listen. If I take this statement as an opening, it makes me pause. I’m pausing to consider: What would be possible if I took this comment as truth? Who…
When you enter into a conversation with strongly opposing views, how do you stay neutral? For me, it means I need to suspend what I know and believe during that conversation. The process of suspension means I hold my assumptions, beliefs and opinions out for examination with a willingness to be influenced. The critical words above are “willingness to be influenced.” It…
Are you experiencing stress right now? Is it more than your usual amount? Have you tried all the self-care options you can? If not, try some. Have you talked with friends, family and anyone who’ll listen, and you feel a bit better, but it’s only a short while? Did that bottle of wine help, until the emotions you’re packing down welled up…
I’m asking myself a question these days which moves me in much more certain directions. It’s become the mantra I need at this time in my life and in business. The question is clarifying. It helps me say “no” much more confidently. Saying no has created space and confidence as more and more situations are calling for my attention. What’s the…