Sometimes the simplest things can make me laugh. What I love best, though, is when something makes me laugh AND think! Here’s one that happened right outside my window. Leadership Lessons from Encounters with a Squirrel My office has a second story view looking out into our back woods. We love feeding and watching the […]
Team Building
Real Leaders Fertilize
Bloom Where You’re Planted A primary rule of biology is that if a thing can grow/live, it will. Witness these brave poppy flowers, not just growing, but blooming. There between the railroad ties, amongst rocks and rubble, regularly being run over by train cars, never getting regular watering, yet they hang on! True to their […]
Conflict Management –The Power of Vulnerability–(Really!)
I just read a great blog on Harvard Business Review that got me thinking about the role of vulnerability in conflict management. The author shared a powerful vignette about a personal conflict that emerged into a larger issue. The conflict ignition point was driven by both parties focusing on convincing each other of the intention they […]
The “Four Fold Way” of Leading–Part Four
Part Four: Stay Open Rather Than Attached To Outcomes Leaders often walk a tightrope between staying the course and being agile. It’s easy to forget there is a long and fruitful path between single-minded rigidity and being so open-minded that your brains fall out. I’ll call this leadership paradox “clear-sighted openness.” The key to holding […]
The “Four Fold Way” of Leading–Part Three
Part Three: Speak your truth without blame or judgment In parts one and two I described the power of “showing up” and “honoring your heart.” Now we turn our attention to speaking your truth without blame or judgment. It seems like it should be easy, but it can be a little more difficult than it […]
The “Four Fold Way” of Leading–Part One
Angeles Arrien wrote a wonderful book years ago titled “The Four Fold Way” detailing the wisdom of indigenous peoples for creating healthy relationships for community. I had the pleasure of speaking with Ms. Arrien a few years ago and received her permission to use a modification of her model in the business world to give […]
Abundance Approach to Conflict Management
Conflict resolution or conflict management? Let me first share a baseline assumption born of life experience-though we use the term daily, true “conflict resolution” is a rare commodity. What most of us are experiencing at work and at home on a daily basis is conflict management. And I further submit to you that this is a good thing. […]