Archives for leadership

Once – I say it and hear it all the time.

Once – I say it and hear it all the time.

January 19, 2022

Professionally: Once I get through this week Once we get a bit of breathing room Once this project is done Once we get through to the end of this year And personally: Once I get the house organized Once the credit cards are paid off Once we get to our summer vacation Once the kids are older The destination is always different but the sentiment is the same –  we must endure our current situation until some distant point in the future when things will be better and we will find happiness, joy, contentment or peace. While in some respects
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What if we are both right?

What if we are both right?

October 19, 2021

  What does this age-old image bring to mind? If you are like most people who attend our trainings where we use this image, you are likely to say, perspective. This image represents that we all have our own perspective on situations, and we must remember that while interacting with others. My response to that, is yes, you are half-right. This image is so powerful but for a reason that to me, goes beyond simply understanding that we all have different perspectives. The REAL power of this message is that sometimes…we are both right. All too often, when engaging in
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“I am starting to wonder if she can’t do it or if she just doesn’t care.”

“I am starting to wonder if she can’t do it or if she just doesn’t care.”

August 30, 2021

Teamwork. Good communicator. Adaptable. Forward thinker. Active listener. In our line of work, we hear these words all the time. They are the words we have come to use so frequently when talking about how our organizations and teams need to operate, we could list them in our sleep. In coaching conversations, I hear clients say, “I told my direct report that I need her to be a better listener, but I continue to have others on the team come to me and say that she still is so hardheaded in meetings.” When working with leaders I hear, “In our
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Oh…So We’re Talking to People?

Oh…So We’re Talking to People?

May 26, 2021

“Oh. So…I guess we are talking to people today?” As these words entered my thought stream, it startled me. It was a beautiful day, unseasonably warm for the first Saturday in May. My husband and I had brought our kids to our neighborhood beach to enjoy the 85-degree weather and to splash in the (still very chilly) lake for the morning. He was standing on the beach chatting (socially distant) with a few other husbands that were near us, though we did not know any of them personally.  In DISC speak, I am a “High I” (extroverted and people oriented),
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The Meeting Room Elephant

The Meeting Room Elephant

April 27, 2021

Have you ever been in a meeting where upon entering the room it’s CLEAR that something is up? It feels…off…strange…something is awry, but you don’t know what – and your guess is that others feel it too. And, have you ever been in a meeting where the person facilitating the meeting doesn’t notice nor acknowledge the weird vibe in the room? It is likely that you have. Most of us have had our spidey senses go on alert at one time or another. Now, think back to the first ten minutes of that meeting. When the meeting leader started the
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Self-Care: Shifting Your Mindset

Self-Care: Shifting Your Mindset

March 23, 2021

“Self-care. It’s a word we hear all the time these days. We think we know what it looks like: getting our hair done, getting a pedicure, reading a book before bed, having brunch with our girlfriends, taking that ever-elusive nap! We are promised that self-care is the answer to our stressful and busy lives. We are told we need to take time for ourselves in order to survive and thrive in a world that is pulling us in a hundred different directions. We are promised that if we do these activities—get the exercise, go for the walk, have the mimosa—we
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2021 North Star – do I have your attention?

2021 North Star – do I have your attention?

January 4, 2021

I, like a lot of people, have a water dispenser in the door of my refrigerator. While in theory, it’s a wonderful convenience, it’s actually my greatest nemesis. Why, you ask? Because I almost always end up with water all over my kitchen floor. I place the cup in the door and instantly start doing something else, usually it’s checking my email but sometimes it’s unloading the dishwasher or picking up things from the counter. Within a few moments, the light trickle of water down the fridge starts, but I am firmly stuck in my distraction until it’s too late
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If Taking a Vacation = Work Stress, It’s Your Own Damn Fault

If Taking a Vacation = Work Stress, It’s Your Own Damn Fault

July 14, 2020

“I just got back to work after vacation, and need another vacation!” So here we are, the weekend after 4th of July weekend, and I feel obligated to leverage some basic business principles I had the opportunity to share with three different managers and executives this week.  And the point is – if you feel like you need a vacation after going back to work after vacation, it’s your own damn fault.  Bear with me now and I’ll unpack this thought as efficiently as I can. Unfortunately, well-meaning managers experience an increased level of anxiety: Just before they leave for
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It Turns Out, It’s What We All Want

It Turns Out, It’s What We All Want

January 23, 2020

  “They do what I ask, but not what I need.” – nearly every Owner, President and CEO we work with I heard this incredibly powerful and insightful statement for the first time nearly two years ago from an Owner and President of a midsized, successful manufacturing organization. He was stating that the leaders in his organization were decent leaders, but he needed more from them.  Since that day, we have heard the same sentiment repeatedly (though usually not as succinctly stated from our Dallas client) from leaders around the country and in nearly every industry.  It is a powerful
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Those 29 Minutes

Those 29 Minutes

December 11, 2019

30 minutes.  That’s about how long it would take to do your personal banking in 1990.  You would get in your car, drive to your bank, fill out your deposit or withdraw slip, stand in line, make your deposit or withdrawal and drive home or back to work. Today, by banking with an app and face recognition technology, that same banking transaction can take just a minute.  That’s 29 minutes back in your day, thanks to technology and our smart phones. This is just one of 100 examples that could be listed as to how much “more time” technology has
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