Real Leadership Begins Now
...But not with those two. Not with our political leaders. Real leadership no longer resides in the candidates or our elected officials. They may have power, but let us not confuse power with leadership. They’ve done their damage to our nation's discourse. And at some...
What Do You Want Your Workplace To Look Like?
Most companies, I find, are really one of two things: a Silo, or a Matrix. Not sure what I mean by that? Think about it this way: based on these definitions, which organization would you rather work for -- and create? SILO: si·lo ˈsīlō/ noun mid 19th Century from...
Your Team Is Your Muscle
Huh?! My team is what?! Think about it this way: When you go to the gym and sweat like a maniac doing a 40-minute routine that would kill an elephant, is that what builds your muscles? No, that’s what tears your muscles. They grow stronger during the resting period. ...
It’s Time For A Better Question
The wise, omnipotent computer in HItchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, gave the answer to life, the universe, and everything as “42." When the humans, confused by the answer, asked for more clarification, Deep Thought (the name of the computer) responded by saying the...
Hip, Hip, Hooray For Doubt!
Give yourself permission to be in doubt for as long as you need to -- but then take steps to change it. Some folks will read that sentence as another way to describe the “fake it 'til you make it” philosophy, which can leave us feeling hollow or disingenuous. I’m...
The Spiral Of Life
Conventional wisdom claims that life is a circle, but in truth? It’s more like a spiral. We continually rise and fall from leader to learner and back again, but we never really circle back to where we started. We are always ahead of where we were before, like a...
It’s Action Time!
They say success is moving from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. I guess I get that, but wouldn’t success be far better if you were able to move from success to success with a growing level of enthusiasm? We've talked in the past about letting your...
The Path of Least Resistance
The path of least resistance isn’t always what you think. If you think in terms of nature, it’s pretty obvious: water moving down a mountain takes the path of least resistance, flowing around rocks, under branches, wearing a groove that’s virtually never a straight...
Our Past Self Needs Our Patience
Last week we talked about how sometimes, it can be easy to look at the struggles of others and assume they should not be having a difficult time. After all, their challenge would be easy for us. But it’s also easy to make the same judgmental mistake when we look at...
Leadership=Grace Through the Turmoil
My oldest daughter started high school this year, and it became instantly apparent there’s a lot of fear and excitement that goes into a transition like that. Think about it: one year they are kings and queens of the castle, and they come back from summer at the...
