The Gift Of Conflict
In preparation for a workshop with a group of executives on “Managing Conflict,” I developed the following “Five Steps To Managing Conflict:” Step 1. Understand the nature of conflict and its importance in our lives. Three Premises About Conflict: Without conflict, you aren’t growing. We don’t grow without the challenges that emerge from conflict. Without […]
An Inspired Friendship
I just got off the phone with my good friend and mentor, Don Campbell, from Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. Don and I first met when we were on the board of Holistic Management back in the late 1980′s. He remains a true inspiration to me. Don is a guy who is at peace with himself. As […]
What Can Nature Teach You As A Leader?
I love this time of year. The crisp morning air, the kids starting back to school. I always think of my university teaching days and remember the joys of new students, starting new classes, getting back on campus. I’m now gearing up for a busy fall with great clients after a summer of renewal and […]
Encouragement File And Acknowledgements
About fifteen years ago I started an “encouragement file.” Every time someone wrote me with positive feedback or expressed appreciation in writing for the impact I had on their life, I would put their note in a file. That file has grown and I now have literally thousands of letters that have come to me […]
Death Awakens Us To Life
I spent a beautiful day this past week with my aunt Doreen who now, in the late stages of cancer, has moved into a hospice in Vancouver. It is both enormously sad and very beautiful to be with someone at the end of their life. She’s at peace and radiant with love. Her grandchildren and […]
Culture and Leadership – At Every Level
Last summer I made a clear intention to re-focus my work on organizational culture. It’s amazing what I have been learning since then. I have been meeting some incredibly wise people who are doing life-changing work in their cultures. Not only am I working with and learning from some amazing executives about how to create […]
Connect by Disconnecting
I spent the past week with my amazing five-year-old grandson, Ethan. It was a week of “hanging out.” We spent time swimming, hiking, building puzzles and lego, relaxing at the zoo, chasing butterflies, reading stories, and, of course, napping. Okay, I napped while he played. One morning we just laid on floor together and listened […]
Building Bridges Of Trust: Your #1 Leadership Priority
“Trust is the new currency in life. It is critical to a productive workplace. Trust lies at the heart of every team, organization, and community, because without trust, you have no relationship.” From the book Bridges of Trust: Making Accountability Authentic, by David Irvine and Jim Reger. What is the most important thing on any […]
On Staying Connected As A Leader
Recently I was inspired by an executive who was participating in one of my leadership programs. Several years ago, he arrived to lead a division within his organization and found out there were eighty-four offices spread throughout the area within his stewardship. “For the first year,” he said to me, “I made it a goal […]
Authentic Leadership and Integrity
This week I started coaching a senior executive who was recently promoted to lead a large office in his firm. He approached me for coaching to help him be accountable for living leadership with greater integrity. When I asked him what this meant, he said: “Reflecting on the leadership responsibility I now face made me […]
