How to start a new habit.

How to start a new habit. Assess the quality of your life by looking at your habits. If you want to change your life, change your habits. Here’s seven keys to changing a habit: Articulate your why. Create a compelling reason to change a habit or create a new you. And be sure the change […]

Does the word accountability have a positive or negative association for you?

Does the word accountability have a positive or negative association for you? Throughout my career, accountability has been a central focus of my research and teaching. Here are ten things I’ve learned about accountability: Accountability is the ability to be counted on. Never make a promise you don’t intend to keep, and when you make […]

Journalling – How To Get Going And Keep Going

Journalling – How To Get Going And Keep Going Connection to others is critical in good leadership and starts with connection to yourself. Journalling is a great tool for self-connection. Here are some guidelines to get you going and keep you going: Buy a nice journal. I love a good leather-covered one I can feel […]

The Myth Of A High-Functioning Team

The Myth Of A High-Functioning Team In forty years of doing this work, I have never come across a dysfunctional team. Every team has elements of disfunction and elements of health and falls somewhere on that spectrum. There is no formula. No template. I have seen teams that are achieving incredible results that would fail […]

Signs of burnout: How to recognize and evaluate what to keep doing and what to let go of.

Signs of burnout: How to recognize and evaluate what to keep doing and what to let go of. From personal experience, I know that burnout is real. It is not to be dismissed. Here are some signs: Lack of enthusiasm and vitality Difficulty getting up in the morning and falling asleep at night. Speaking in […]

Four things to remember when leadership feels hard.

Four things to remember when leadership feels hard. Leading – whether in your family, your team, community, or company – is like life: it’s hard at times. When you decide to step up and stand for something, you open yourself up to be attacked, dismissed, criticized, silenced, and sometimes even assassinated. It is not uncommon […]

Does the word accountability have a positive or negative association for you?

Throughout my career, accountability has been a central focus of my research and teaching. Here are ten things I’ve learned about accountability: Accountability is the ability to be counted on. Never make a promise you don’t intend to keep, and when you make a promise keep it, whether you feel like it or not. Think […]

Fears, Trust, And the Human Experience

When our daughters were much younger, we went on a family “adventure” to the Fantasyland Hotel in West Edmonton Mall and took in a ride in the submarine. After boarding, the hatch closed, and as we “descended,” the guide began safety instructions. The moment she said, “if any of you get claustrophobic…” I immediately started […]

Making Authenticity Real – A Leadership Checklist

A lot of research ( e.g. Harvard Business Review and Leadership & Organization Development Journal) shows that employees’ perception of authentic leadership is the strongest predictor of job satisfaction and can have a positive impact on work-related attitudes. Most employees believe authenticity in the workplace leads to better relationships with colleagues, higher levels of trust, […]

Four things to remember when leadership feels hard.

Leading – whether in your family, your team, community, or company – is like life: it’s hard at times. When you decide to step up and stand for something, you open yourself up to be attacked, dismissed, criticized, silenced, and sometimes even assassinated. It is not uncommon to bear the scars from your efforts. Leaders […]