CARING IS EVERYTHING – Getting To The Heart Of Humanity, Leadership, and Life
We are all inspired by random acts of kindness, particularly this time of year. But does our caring have to be random? What if we decide to be more intentional in our actions? Caring has a pervasive, enduring influence on the well-being of those around us. Caring impacts who we are as people and the […]
Why do we discount people’s feelings – and what can we do about it?
Why do we discount people’s feelings – and what can we do about it? Have you ever been told to: “Calm down” “Don’t worry” “Relax” “Don’t be so intense” “Just let it go” Rarely do these responses change the emotions or the actions that are intended. In fact, they usually result in making things worse. […]
Take An Emotional Temperature Reading
In a recent podcast (The Leader’s Navigator) with my daughter, Hayley, we talked about Living Authentically With Anger. To counter some of the divisiveness and strain that seems prevalent in our world today, we suggest a strategy to use with your team. Before every operational meeting, get a sentence from each person about how they […]
Can Arrogance Be Mistaken For Confidence?
While arrogance and confidence appear similar on the surface, there is a definitive line that divides the two. Confidence is an intrinsic value, involving inner trust, assurance, and faith in one’s ability to deal with the situation in front them. Arrogance, on the other hand, is a false sense of superiority over others that comes […]
Leading Beyond the Great Disruption
Nelson Mandela had many teachers in his life, but the greatest of them all was prison. In the words of his biographer, Richard Stengel, “Prison taught him self-control, discipline, and focus, and it taught him how to be a full human being – the things he considered essential to leadership.” In other words, it was […]
Decision Making
Why decision making is so effective when it is located where the knowledge and expertise lie, rather than where the pay grade is appropriate.
I come from a lineage of hand-standers.
I come from a lineage of hand-standers. My grandfather could still do a headstand when he was 93. My father was a Canadian national gymnast in the 1940s. He used to walk around on his hands when he was 50. I didn’t think there was anything particularly unusual about this until my friends came over. […]
Psychological Safety: It Starts With Self-Awareness
Your first and most important responsibility as a leader is to create a safe environment where people can bring their whole self to their work. So how do you know if people feel safe? How do you know whether people fully trust you? How do you know if people are secretly looking for a job […]
Engagement and the Four Human Needs
To get your team inspired and engaged, to foster loyalty, and get the most out of people under your care, you need to work with them to meet four fundamental needs. People need to feel safe. They need to feel physically and psychologically safe. They need to know it’s safe to tell the truth, be […]
There’s a principle in boxing that timing beats speed and speed beats power.
There’s a principle in boxing that timing beats speed and speed beats power. Whenever I’m up against my sparing partner and I feel less power, and I “try harder” to be more powerful it never ends well. It weakens my power, decreases my speed, and throws my timing way off. I’ll never outpower someone who […]
