Leadership Essentials
Be Kind to Yourself
When pressure mounts, leaders often focus their priority on achievement and neglect their well-being. Be kind to yourself. Use meditation and exercise to boost your stress tolerance and your optimism. [...]
Keep Work in Perspective
Work is an essential component for leaders in every organization. However, work should not consistently over shadow other aspects of a leader's life. We are only capable of taking on [...]
Avoid the Sacrifice Syndrome – Make Time for Renewal
When leaders sacrifice themselves continuously to their jobs they can become trapped in what is known as the Sacrifice Syndrome. The Sacrifice Syndrome is the result of heavy responsibilities, the [...]
Manage Your Energy
We operate from three forms of energy – physical, emotional, and mental. Our energy in each of these areas becomes depleted as a result of not getting enough rest (physical energy), [...]
Compassion: The Heart of Leadership
When leaders demonstrate compassion, they understand the wants and needs of their people and feel motivated to act on their feelings. Compassion is empathy and caring in action. Empathy begins [...]
Increased Visibility Builds Relationships and Increases Your Airtime
As we move into the end of the fourth quarter, it’s easy to become laser focused on what needs to be accomplished by year end. While all of this is important, [...]
How Empathetic Are You?
Empathy is an important aspect of relationship building. One’s ability to recognize, understand, and appreciate the way others feel is a core emotional intelligence skill. Empathy sits at the heart of [...]
Texture: Leadership Curiosity
We are all multidimensional. Texture gives our dimensions character. An individual’s texture is created by the things that give them energy, their activities, interests and passions. Texture is also developed [...]
Leadership Accessibility
The demands of leadership are diverse and can make it challenging to determine what and who gets your time and attention. However, access to the leader is critical to a team’s [...]
Reframe Your Stories
The stories that reveal the most about us are usually the ones we would rather not share. Sometimes they are embarrassing, too painful, or make us feel vulnerable. I recently had [...]
Is Assertiveness a Part of Your Brand?
Imagine a line between the words passive and aggressive; assertiveness lives at the midpoint of that line. It is the sweet spot; the place where you work with others by finding [...]
Brand Authenticity
Brand is rooted in authenticity. This means that before you can establish your personal brand you must be self-aware, and understand how you relate to the world and how the [...]
Lead by Example ~ Explore the Opportunities
Build time into your calendar for a "Listening Tour." It is a great way for you to engage your colleagues in a spirit of cooperation. Plan time to meet with other leaders in different [...]
Promote the Culture ~ Coach Cooperation
What have you done recently to promote cooperation within your team? A team that works collaboratively operates like a well-oiled machine. Try conducting team meetings that promote an environment of [...]
Social Responsibility Begins at Home ~ With Your Team
Success as a leader requires the ability to help each member of the team perform at their absolute best. It goes without saying that a focus on team performance will increase [...]
Vulnerable Leadership
The title of leader comes with quite a few assumptions. We assume that our leaders are smart, qualified, strong, powerful, and all knowing. These assumptions impose a way of being [...]
Socially Responsible Leadership ~ Organizational Impact
Social responsibility calls for leaders to act in an ethical and responsible manner, promote the greater good, and to be a strong voice in their teams, organizations, and communities. Leaders [...]
Building Trust through Coaching ~ The Power of Wise Counsel
On-going performance coaching is a great way to build trust. When members of your team are comfortable seeking you out for support, guidance and advocacy, it suggests that they trust you [...]
Building Trust ~ Understanding is Key
Leadership is not a solo act. It is for that reason, effective leaders make an effort to gain a clear understanding of the individuals on their team. Understanding cultivates trust. Achieving [...]
Trusting Relationships ~ Be Intentional
We would all agree that building resilient and trusting relationships with all people, regardless of your feelings toward them, is crucial to navigating an organization’s political landscape. Doing so promotes perceptions [...]
Self-Care & Trust ~ A final thought about Social Responsibility
There is a French concept called “Noblesse Oblige.” It basically means with privilege comes duty. In many ways, the opportunity to lead is a privilege. Among the many responsibilities that [...]
EQ Corner ~ Taking Your Self-Confidence Up a Notch
We all have moments of self-doubt. You’ve taken on a “quantum leap” career opportunity; you’ve been asked to lead an initiative with very little knowledge, familiarity, or resources; you’ve got [...]
Speaking of Trust…The Power of Warmth
A growing body of research suggests that the most effective way to influence and lead is to begin with warmth. Warmth is proving to be the conduit of influence and [...]
Vulnerability-Based Trust ~ Enhancing Team Effectiveness
Members of trusting teams demonstrate Vulnerability-Based trust. This level of trust requires team members to make themselves vulnerable to one another without fear that their vulnerabilities (weaknesses, skill deficiencies, mistakes, [...]