“Experiencing the full expression of employees’ and colleagues’ identities affords us innumerable advantages, from personal fulfillment to organizational profitability.” – La’Wana Harris A leader shared with me how he saw an increase in innovation and morale in his team. This decreased the time they had to be in meetings because communication within the team improved. As a […]
An Item to Add to Your Gratitude List: Diversity Read More »
“When stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions start to run strong, casual conversations become crucial. Ironically, the more crucial the conversation, the less likely we are to handle it well. The consequences of either avoiding or fouling up crucial conversations can be severe. When we fail a crucial conversation, every aspect of our lives
Communication Essentials: Steps to Engaging in Conversation Read More »
“To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” – Proverbs 16:1-2 “I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried getting this person to work with me, but they
Communication Essentials: Assessing the Relationship Dynamics Read More »
“…to give them beauty for ashes…” – Isaiah 61:3 The brightness of a splotch of color caught my attention. I was hiking in a lava field in El Malpais National Monument. This national park is known as the Land of Frozen Fire and means badlands in Spanish. It is 114,000 acres and home to lava
Beauty out of Ashes: Leadership Crucibles Read More »
“Accountability is the responsibility of completing a task or achieving a goal. Ownership is about setting a high bar for oneself.” – Gustavo Razzetti As individuals and organizations, we have practices that we apply daily to create momentum to improve something. The Oxford Dictionary defines practice as “carrying out or performing (a particular activity, method,
Don’t ‘Just Do It’: Understanding Transformational Cultural Practices Read More »
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. – Albert Einstein In the quote above, Albert Einstein says, “…hope for tomorrow.” What are you hoping for? Hope speaks to the deepest part of who we are. It is what keeps us going. As a child, we
The Path of Pain to Hope in Leadership and Life: Part II Read More »
“Growth equals change; change equals loss; loss equals pain; so inevitably, growth equals pain.” ― Samuel Chand, Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth Leaders see the potential for something better and within that is hope. People join towards a new potential because of the motivation for something more. We enjoy stories because they inspire us
The Path of Pain to Hope in Leadership and Life: Part I Read More »
“To have humility is to experience reality.” – Dag Hammarskjold, Swedish diplomat Do you feel a heavy pressure on yourself to have everything around you under control? Often, leaders can feel this way because others look to them for answers. The word lead is defined as “a route or means of access to a particular
Humility: The Paradoxical Power Read More »
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning “This doesn’t seem fair.” How often have you heard this statement? It immediately brings up thoughts of
Leading When Things Seem Unfair Read More »
“No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.” – Winston Churchill, My Early Life: A Roving Commission (1930) Are you striving or flowing in your work? Are you feeling burned out or energized? These questions came to mind as I was reflecting on a picture that a friend had painted of
How Being Carried Can Lead to Empowerment Read More »
