Have you ever heard the phrase “what you focus on expands?” During a recent meeting, one of the leaders attending said they had been in a “funk.” Well, we all could relate to that statement. The conversation began and seemed to accelerate into all the things contributing to their challenges. It wasn’t helpful, in fact, it seemed to be more therapeutic… View Article
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, thinking “I just can’t do it all,” I have a way to reframe that thinking. It’s become a muscle I’ve exercised enough to move through these moments and quit wasting time. Yes, overwhelm is a waste of time – I am the one who overcommitted, and I am the one who needs to be in action about changing… View Article
Questions are a leader’s most powerful tool. When you lead well, you learn to ask more than tell. There’s a distinction between teaching and leading. For the team, they can become blurred when the leader blurs those lines. Teaching means showing, telling, correcting, learning, and generating. Leading is involved, but the outcome is clear: transition competencies and accountability. For many… View Article
When you pursue a dream, a future opportunity or a goal, all kinds of concern, worry, and fear can show up. After all, it wouldn’t be a future possibility if you already knew how to do it. Recently, while working with a group of CEOs, one of them declared something big. It was something career and life altering… View Article
I was working with a team recently and one member challenged me on single point accountability. She said she disagreed with the concept and their people “share” accountability for getting things done. While this is a great idea, it will always lead to the same outcome. When things are working, it’s a fine concept. What happens when things don’t work – when the stuff hits the fan and things don’t work? You… View Article
When you are working on a team, it can bring the best and the worst of each other to the table. When mired in how things look, we get rigid, stuck, and default to process instead of thinking. When things are working, it’s easy to hide the lack of thinking because the results mask automaticity and allow us to defer to… View Article
Imagine you’re planning a road trip from Toronto to Los Angeles. As fun as that sounds, especially during the cold winter months, it’s also a great analogy for the distinctions between leadership and management. Who knew you could learn so much from a road trip? 😊 Leadership is about setting the destination. As a leader, you’re the one in the driver’s seat who says, “we’re… View Article
Excellence is always an option. Sometimes, it’s evasive and when life is overfull, excellence seems harder to reach given the time constraints. I don’t do well doing things halfway. In fact, I have so many ideas about what’s possible and how great something can be, it becomes hard for me to settle. I’m learning how to manage that as excellent doesn’t mean it has to be elaborate. I can… View Article
To lead well means you turn challenges into chances. When things get difficult, pausing to get perspective will give you space for three things: Adaptation. In order to respond, not react, you change your plans to fit the situation, just like a pilot adjusts their course during a storm. Inspiration. Find ways to boost your team’s spirits, reminding everyone of the compelling reasons to persist and work together – especially when times… View Article
You are the total of the six people you spend the majority of your time with. If you haven’t heard this phrase, consider it. As I consider my own life, it absolutely influences my habitual behavior. We all need a cast of characters who support and uplift us, challenge us, care enough to be honest, and help us become the best version… View Article