Was wanting to be a leader something you envisioned for yourself?
The best leaders don’t necessarily seek leadership. They seek to make a difference. They are committed to fostering growth on their team and building capacity in others. Their motive to earn a title is service, not increased power, recognition, financial gain, or using organizational politics to further personal agendas. We must stop using promotions as […]
What portion of your day is spent intentionally connecting with your team?
Why it matters and how to make it part of your routine in a meaningful way. I’m usually very reluctant to reach out spontaneously to my teams – my work team and the one I chair in my non-profit world. I score high on the introvert scale, so it isn’t easy to initiate conversations. I […]
Good leadership requires good boundaries.
I used to think that a good leader put everyone and everything else above themself. Now I know that good leadership is about balance between attending to our own needs and those of the people we serve. And to serve well, service must come from overflow, not from emptiness. Leadership flows from our well-being. I […]
The relationship between accountability and grace – when to hold the line and when to let it go
When our daughter was a teenager she asked to change her curfew for a special event. We wrestled with the decision as she took the time to build her case. We eventually changed the curfew, and to this day I don’t know if it was the right decision. Often there is no “right” decision, but […]
A Token Of Appreciation
After my webinar on Psychological Safety this past week, I had a great conversation with Marg, my VP of Client Care. We reminisced about when she was the Senior Manager of Learning and Development at Lilydale and I consulted on some projects there. Lilydale was established over 75 years ago as an Alberta Farmers’ cooperative […]
Teamship – The Undervalued Virtue Of Being a Great Team Player
We talk a lot about leadership but how can you be an outstanding teammate? We don’t celebrate outstanding “teamship” enough. And just as leadership is contextual (qualities vary from team to team), so is teamship. Here’s a process that may be helpful: Brainstorm qualities considered valuable on your team, along with behaviors demonstrating those qualities […]
Trust may not be what you think it is.
Like so many words, trust is both over-rated and misunderstood. I often hear, “I’m not going to engage here because there’s no trust,” or “We have to work on getting trust before we can achieve results.” One thing I know about trust is that it is not a prerequisite. Trust, like confidence, isn’t something you […]
Habituation
Is it helpful or harmful? How to recognize it in ourselves and our teams. My daughter gave me this poster, saying that it reminded her of one of the values I instilled in her. Very touching. This framed picture – gifted to me by my daughter – inspired me every time I sat at my […]
Remembrance Day is personal to me.
My dear mother’s first husband, Ted, was killed on a humanitarian mission flying penicillin into Poland, leaving my mother to raise a young daughter on her own after the war. She must have gone through unimaginable grief. If you are interested in the story, check out: https://youtu.be/76owNyfRyX0?si=uI6RFsq9425Ntzeh
What are signs that you have become a lazy leader?
I don’t think anyone intentionally sets out to be lazy. But sometimes we get so overwhelmed that we crash. Like when you have so many things on your to-do list you just sit in front of the tv and check out. This isn’t a problem once in a while, but when it becomes a habitual […]
