Building Personal Capacity
The Three Ways People Get Ahead in Organizations
Describe the reason that has lead to your rise in this organization.
Don’t Worry that your Children Don’t Listen to You…..
Robert Fulghum, author of the famous life advice book “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” once wrote: “Don’t worry that your children don’t listen to you, worry that they watch you.”
The Myth of “Work/Life Balance
We talk about it – strive for it but – what is work/life balance? According to Wikipedia, it is: a concept including the proper prioritization between work (career and ambition) and lifestyle (health, pleasure, leisure, family.)
The Way We Look at the Problem is Almost Always Part of the Problem
In my work with individuals and teams, we often begin with the question “What problem are we trying to solve?” This simple question can generate a strong reaction.
Why are we having such a hard time hearing each other?
Often times we are so quick to get our point across, we miss what others are saying entirely.
Your personality is the remnants of the strategy you used to survive childhood
In your family, you realized there were patterns – how things got addressed or didn’t, what the family offered you and what seemed to be most important – appearances, financial security, loyalty, anger, love and so on.
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.” – Don Marquis
There are as many recommendations about how to overcome it as there are definitions.
“Everyone travels up Jackass Hill at their own pace”
Somewhere along the way we have colluded around “normal” behavior and progression for children.
Exploring the relationship between activity and impact
What is the relationship between activity and impact
Building a Support System – Dancing with the Ugly Dancers
One of the critical practices for exercising leadership is “Getting on the Balcony” – that is, finding a way to reflect in the midst of action. A useful metaphor is to think about your place of work as a “dance floor.”
Legacy as Opportunity
One of the most common problems in organizations – or across human systems generally – is that the current generation in charge does not feel the next generation is ready to take over AND they are doing little to get them better prepared.
Aligning with Purpose
What am I doing here on Earth?
Choosing Between Being Right and Being Effective
Among the greatest challenges faced by people trying to lead, choosing between being right and being effective is among the most vexing.
The “Louder” Strategy
At one point in my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I employed a woman who spoke no English. When I would introduce her to English-speaking people, they would invariably speak louder to her.
The Road Not Taken
One of my favorite introductory workshop activities is to ask people to share their “road not taken,” that is, to talk about any one of the many choices they have faced, and not taken, on their path to the present.