Collaboration is one of the main words you need to understand and practice to thrive.
As Michael McKinney recently wrote on his blog, “The challenge facing any leader is turning individual action into collective power.”
Most people don't want to be spectators at work. Call them to be involved. Ask for their contribution. Invite them to participate. Continue reading »
This past Saturday we had very strong winds in Delaware. Riding in the car with my husband, who is a retired pilot, we got to talking about winds, airplanes, piloting, and change. Here are some of our reflections.
When there are strong winds, a pilot needs to constantly check course, speed, possible obstacles, and loose objects.
Leaders in a fast changing environment can't conduct “business as usual.” They need to be on the lookout for possible danger. Many leaders are not scanning the horizon specifically enough to predict how market conditions will evolve. Or they are not making decisions fast enough to implement solutions, thus putting their organizations at risk. In this uncertain times, you need to be alert and "on your toes." Continue reading »
An organization’s success is greatly affected by the effectiveness of their communications and their understanding of change processes.
I work with small and medium businesses and organizations for the successful implementation of change through collaboration between partners, leaders, teams, and individuals.
I will help you leverage the power of dialogue to help your organization bring about successful change while maintaining outstanding performance.
Executive Coaching is designed for highly talented leaders and professionals. It is an intensive, customized program created to meet your individual challenges, needs, and goals. It includes a variety of assessment and feedback tools to help leaders identify their strengths and areas of needed development.
For over 25 years I have successfully worked with leaders and organizations all over the world, helping them: increase productivity, improve communication between departments, reduce conflict, handle change effectively and massively increase the effectiveness of their teams.
Now, I would like to offer you and your organization the same opportunity.
As humans we are “meaning-making machines.” Our brains and our hearts are “programmed” to find meaning. If we don’t, we feel empty, unhappy, devoid of purpose and motivation. On the other hand, when we have meaning, it makes work and life fulfilling, worth sacrificing for, joyful.
Successful leaders understand that a big part of leadership is making sense of what people are doing together. As a leader you can communicate meaning through the words you choose, the images and stories you share, and by affirming employees who exemplify organizational values.
You can also aid meaning making by engaging in activities and conversations in ways that builds the culture of the organization. Continue reading »
In the last post I explained why leading from the heart can make the difference between being a successful or mediocre leader. Today I’m going to share with you how to harness the power of your heart to be more successful.
Many leaders base their actions on what others say instead of on what is inside them. When they do this, they can have regrets for not standing for what they believed in their heart was the right thing to do.
When there is conflict between your actions and what you believe deep in your heart, it’s as if you are waging an internal war. When you listen to and follow your heart, you have a congruent life with less stress and more peace.
Once a year our society forces us to think about love and relationships. Valentine’s day is supposed to be about heart. Today I want to show you that leadership should also be about heart. Leading from the heart is the best way to lead. Continue reading »
Many look up to leaders as people that have all the right answers and know what they are doing with certainty. The reality is that if you think you know it all, you stop learning and growing and will eventually fail.
Uncertainty. . . Being willing to doubt, can be a good thing for leaders. A few years back there was a book by by Gail Blanke called "Between Trapezes." The metaphor of the trapeze aptly applies in leadership, and in life. To be uncertain requires that we leave behind our personal and professional certainties.
Living in the gap, between two trapezes, is the chance to find out who we truly are and who we can be. It is the need to let go in order to grab something else. This could be very frightening. Nobody likes the idea of falling, of “humiliation,” of others looking on and discovering we are not sure if we can breach the gap.
That moment of uncertainty can also be a moment of exhilaration. A freeing space where you don't have to hang onto any certainties. It's a space where you can be creative, wildly alive, with your eyes in the next adventure, ready to grab what comes close to you.
The worst thing you can do when stuck is to focus on how stuck you are! It's best to use your brain and energy on devising and carrying out a plan to get unstuck.
Focusing only on all the reasons why something doesn't work sucks away every body’s energy and doesn't help to move things forward.
Here are seven behaviors that I teach my clients for gaining momentum and getting unstuck.