We all have our quirks, the things that make us who we are. When we think about the people we love, some of what makes them unique causes us to laugh, roll our eyes, or shrug our shoulders because we know that is who they are.
I have a fear of deep, open water. Imagine this scene. I am at the beach, vacationing with friends. We’ve been hanging out on the shore for hours, and as the sun lingers, someone says, “I’m roasting; let’s get in the water and cool off.”
Read MoreAn old pier in Redington, Florida, used to extend nearly 60 yards into the ocean. After storm damage and a lack of maintenance, it finally turned into a public safety hazard. As a result, a few years ago, most of the structure was removed. What remains is about 30 yards long, and it stretches from the parking lot onto the beach, but it only comes close to reaching the edge of the water. On top are some picnic tables and a nice view. Below is a space where people can sit in the shade or hang hammocks.
On this day, as I made my way to the shore, I walked past the pier and tried not to laugh out loud. Below was a 20-something young woman dressed in a way that would have gotten her arrested for indecent exposure in most public places! Not much more than a spool of thread was needed for her outfit.
Read MoreThis is a painful story to write.
Over the last couple of years, I have put pen to paper at least half a dozen times trying to bring this story to life. With each attempt, I realized the timing wasn’t right.
I believe that some things are not meant to be shared. There are experiences in my own life that were meant just for me, and me alone. I hold tightly to those moments.
Additionally, there are experiences with individuals and teams behind closed doors that are simply not my story to tell. I recognize in these moments that the main character gets to decide how, when, or if they will publicly share their story.
Read MoreLast week, while visiting a new city, I stopped in a quaint local ice cream shop, and it trigger a positive memory for me.
A few years ago, I was in Central America. I had spent the day on a city tour with a small group of people. Our local bilingual guide, Jose, was a gem of a human. It had been a full day and everyone else from my tour had retreated to their hotel rooms for the night. However, Jose asked if I wanted to take a drive to the countryside. He said he knew where we could get some homemade ice cream and he thought I would enjoy it.
Read MoreEvery single day my work is a little different. I may start the week with a college athletic team, then facilitate a Zoom session with leaders in the biomedical space, later shift to an online group coaching session comprised of individuals from all industries, and finally close the week leading educators in a face-to-face session on personal growth. While the participants may vary, there are some themes that often come up in these sessions.
Read MoreWhen I hear someone say that language is the most powerful path for human connection, I cringe. I have a visceral reaction to those words. For that statement to be true, two people must speak the same language. An English speaker and a Portuguese speaker are going to face some challenges in connecting through language.
Read MoreOver the weekend I was able to attend a weekend-long milestone birthday celebration for Levi, the husband of one of my best friends. I have only known Levi for a few years, but he is someone that I have grown to like in a short amount of time. There is an authenticity and sincerity to him which is all too rare in our culture.
Levi happens to be pretty high up in his company, and he leads a large sales team. He is in a high-pressure industry and the challenges of COVID only increased his workload. He, like most of us, has had a stressful year.
Read MoreNearly 20 years ago I took my first international trip. I spent most of a summer in the Philippines, and to say that this was a life-changing experience would be an understatement. It was a summer of experiencing extremes; I witnessed wealth and poverty, observed urban and rural challenges, stayed at nice hotels and slept on the bamboo floor of a hut, and I learned from the innocence of children and the wisdom of the elderly.
Read MoreThis past year I have found myself on a very long and unanticipated journey, but last week I was finally able to get my first vaccination shot. That moment felt significant, much like a mile marker when you’ve been lost in the wilderness.
For me, the last 13 months have been a prolonged experience in liminal space.
Read MoreIf you and I have ever had a conversation about building culture you know that I believe there are three very specific components to the process: the people, the boundaries, and the stories we tell.
One of my favorite mental pictures to share about building cultural boundaries is that we can choose between fences and wells
Read MoreI have always been amazed by redwood trees. These massive structures often grow over 300 feet tall, and many have trunks that span 20 or more feet in diameter. It’s a little hard to wrap my brain around something this substantial.
When I think about these trees, I assume they must have a root system that reaches the center of the Earth! A storm or a tornado could easily blow over an entire redwood forest if it lacked a strong root system.
Read MoreSharing about the Jack Pine never gets old to me. I have used this imagery with teams, groups, and leaders for several years and each time I share I feel like I learn something new in the process. The Jack Pine is a particular type of pine tree that produces a cone called the serotinous cone. Each cone stays on a tree for several years before dropping to the ground.
Read MoreWhen it comes to holidays, I am not one for elaborate decorations. Thematic rituals and traditions hold little merit with me. However, holidays do provide a rhythmic pattern of pausing in my life. For me, these scheduled dates of celebration are a predictable season of self-reflection, and while 2020 has lacked in all forms of predictability, holidays have been a gift that allow me to process and unpack my ever-unfolding life.
Read MoreRecently I started watching a new television show called Away. It’s about five people from five different countries who travel to Mars for a three-year space exploration mission. It is not necessarily the type of show that I am normally drawn to, but I admit it, I am fascinated by the blending of cultures and personalities.
Read MoreIt was 8:00 on a Friday morning and I was the middle of a very difficult conversation. I was sitting in my Athletic Director’s office explaining that my mind was made up: we needed to permanently remove a player from our roster.
Read MoreA few weeks ago, I decided to go for a run at Forest Park in St. Louis. I had been sitting all day and it was time for my body to be in motion. I arrived at the park and made a spur-of-the-moment decision: I chose a path I hadn’t taken before. I could tell from looking at the map that it was about a six-mile loop and that sounded great.
Read MoreIn the midst of this global health crisis we are learning and relearning a lot about leadership. As someone who is personally skilled at observing and connecting dots, I am noticing how we are using words in new ways to help shape our experiences in a time of social distancing and isolation.
Read MoreFour years ago, I quit. I was done. I walked into my boss’s office and said, “I don’t need two weeks, I can be out of here in five days.” Actually, I didn’t just quit my job; I walked away from a career of nearly 20 years in coaching. At that stage in my life I sensed that there was something else for me, something deeper that I needed to discover, and staying near the known was restricting me from exploring the pull I felt from within.
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