Leader Self-Reflections: The Importance Of Looking Inward
I often get hired to fix people. Fix them individually, fix their groups, fix their behavior, attitudes, and, ultimately, improve their output. I get hired by senior managers to fix the problems below them. Based on my experience as an employee in small, medium, and large organizations, and these days as an unbiased outsider, my […]
You Can Lead A Horse To Water: How To Effectively Influence Others
We know that old saying “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” What about helping him realize he’s thirsty? This simple statement captures the essence of influence. We often try to control people’s behavior—their actions, decisions, agreements—by leading them to the place we want them to be. We direct and […]
Managing The Bubble: How To Create Presence
We all have one: that cartoon-like bubble above our heads, filled with thoughts, beliefs, judgments, assumptions, fears, biases, and experiences, that colors our ability to truly be present and engaged in an exchange with another human being (who, by the way, also has their own bubble!). Often, the chatter is so loud, we cannot attend […]
100 Days of Clarity
Today marks my 100th day of clarity. For me, that has meant no alcohol at all, and almost-daily meditation. It all started the day Mother Earth literally smacked me upside the head. I had, by aspirational design, created the opportunity to spend a few days a week working at the cottage for six or seven hours […]