A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog called “Being > Doing.” Truth be told, I wasn’t ready to hit publish, it didn’t feel polished, and I was uncertain about allowing those words to live publicly in the world. However, the deadline had arrived, and the post went live.
Later that day I started to receive emails saying that one line had struck a chord with people; “there is a palpable heaviness in the air.”
Read MoreA common question that often arises for leaders is what should I do when someone has separated themselves from a team or group? While many people put the responsibility on the person who has strayed to find their way back to the group, I think that healthy leaders are willing to go find the lost individual and bring them back to the group. However, in this moment of our collective history,
Read MoreNearly four years ago, I sat on the end of a bed in a dated hotel room, eating Chinese takeout from a Styrofoam container with a ridiculously small plastic spoon, while drinking a bottle of room temperature water. With each bite I took, I was confronted with my own reflection in the mirror which was perfectly placed on the wall directly across from the bed.
Read MoreWriting has never been easy for me, but I choose to do it because it forces me to articulate my thoughts. As an introverted thinker, it would be very easy for me to observe and experience the world in a way that is never fully shared with others. The commitment to sharing my insights helps me to organize and clarify my thoughts.
Read MoreMusic has always come naturally to me. Prior to Kindergarten I started violin lessons, in elementary school I began piano lessons before falling in love with the saxophone in the 5th-grade band. In college, I picked up the guitar while studying at The Commercial School of Music at Belmont University in Nashville. I have been on stage with jazz bands, concert bands, and orchestras but my most cherished musical moment happens as a member of the audience.
Read More“Why am I struggling?”
At Forest Park, a massive green space in St. Louis, there is a four-mile and a six-mile loop that I love to run. Each route starts the same: a collection of serious inclines and declines for about a mile. I repeatedly choose to walk that section. I am old enough to know that starting my run by fighting steep ups and downs will not set me up for success.
Read MoreThere was a gasp in the room.
I was standing in front of 35 entrepreneurs facilitating inner personal work. I had just shared a lighthearted story that had people smiling and laughing and then I introduced our third prompt, “What have you been carrying that you want to set down?” Immediately I felt the air being sucked out of the space we were meeting in, which was followed by a noticeable gasp from a corner of the room. This prompt had struck a chord with a group of high-performing people.
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 MoreFor generations we have talked about leadership and the value that healthy leaders bring to an environment, but it wasn’t until the mid-1980s that the term self-leadership became a part of the conversation.
I believe self-leadership is one of the most overlooked and underrated aspects in the field of leadership development.
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 MoreI don’t remember when I first heard this story, I just remember thinking, “there are so many ways that this concept applies to the work I’m doing.”
It goes like this: in the late 1970s a passenger plane was flying from Denver, Colorado, to Portland, Oregon. As the plane began its descent and its landing gear was lowered, a loud noise was heard.
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 MoreThe story of Chinese bamboo is fascinating, and I have heard it applied in many contexts. For me, the idea that a Chinese bamboo seed could be planted, watered, nurtured, and cared for daily and yet lay dormant for five years and then suddenly break through the soil and grow up to 80 feet in six weeks is amazing. This mental picture connects very well to all areas of personal growth and development.
Read MoreThe prolonged season of COVID and social distancing has recently inspired a spirit of spring cleaning in me. I have found myself joyfully choosing to let go of the physical possessions that no longer serve me. In the process, I’ve noticed a deep sense of awareness about ways in which I have allowed something or someone to stay past their welcome.
Read MoreIt is no secret that I love a good meal, especially one that includes meaningful conversations with friends who I care about deeply. But oddly, I find the invitation to a potluck to be very stressful. First, I am never sure what to bring. First, I am never sure what to bring. I find myself wondering if this is a casserole crowd, or wine & cheese people, or maybe they are fans of homemade salsa with chips?
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 More2020 has exposed some tragic leadership flaws. This year forced leaders in all industries and at all levels to lead through a landscape they have never explored. Companies, organizations, educational institutions, and small business owners aren’t certified in Leading through a Global Pandemic. As a result, many leaders have made decisions and acted in ways that have put their people in harm’s way.
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