SHATTERED OPEN – How Tragedies Can Help Us Grow
In the summer of 2024 approximately thirty percent of the beautiful townsite of Jasper, Alberta was destroyed in a fire that swept through that community. Of the 1,113 structures in the town, 358 of them burned. The wildfire covered an estimated 33,000 hectares, the largest wildfire recorded in the park in a century. A mass […]
Decisions change your life
There’s a story about a man waiting in an airport who sees another man returning home from a business trip, enthusiastically greeted by his wife and three children. The joy, love, and caring was so obvious that the first man asked how long they had been married. When told they were married for twenty years, […]
How have your defining moments defined you?
A participant in my leadership program shared a defining moment that completely changed the trajectory of his life. He was, at one time, a drug addict who had lost it all. His house was about to be foreclosed; his wife and children left him; he was fired from his job; had no money and was […]
What horses can teach us about culture and leadership
From my time hanging around horses I’ve learned: Horses don’t care about titles. They don’t care whether you are the CEO or the janitor. What they do care about is your ego. If it’s too big they’ll put you in your place. It’s all about relationships. If you can’t build a relationship with your horse […]
I love books.
I particularly love sitting down each night with a real book. Some of the books I’ve read so far this year: Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted. By Suleika Jaouad. This is a deeply moving memoir of illness and recovery that traces one young woman’s journey from diagnosis to remission to re-entry […]
Do you really have to be vulnerable to be a leader?
Yes. If you want people to trust you, buy into your vision, and engage with you. But know what vulnerability is and what it isn’t. Vulnerability is not: bringing weakness and problems to your team, lowering your standards, abandoning mental toughness, showy expressions of emotions, or saying everything you think and feel. Vulnerability is about […]
What are leaders accountable for?
When you move into a position of leadership, you don’t get more power; you get more accountability. Six key accountabilities that come with leadership: Strong character. The best leaders are integrated leaders. They live in alignment with their values. They earn respect from others through their own self-respect. Modeling personal development. Positional leaders set the […]
Five Common People Myths
You can fix people if you send them for coaching or therapy. If you want to make changes in your life, strengthen your weaknesses. To show care and support, make it easier for people. Tough conversations harm relationships. When someone’s personal life is a mess, it doesn’t necessarily affect their work. Five Truths About People […]
Become a Digital Minimalist
Recently I watched a family in a restaurant as they ate their entire meal looking at their phones. None of them actually interacted with each other the whole time. Tech companies design devices and apps to be addictive. It’s how they make their money. In my Authentic Leadership Academies, I ask participants is to leave […]
Psychological Safety: It’s About Good Leadership
Psychological safety, no matter how you spin it, boils down to basic good leadership. And good leadership is best measured by one question: Do people feel safe to bring you the bad news? There’s always bad news. People make mistakes. Expectations aren’t met. Frustrations arise. Don’t gauge the health of your leadership by the amount […]
