“Everyone travels up Jackass Hill at their own pace”

This has always been a comforting line from my mom whenever I bemoaned the latest travails of my children. It is easy to laugh about – until someone dear to you steps off “the path.” Somewhere along the way we have colluded around “normal” behavior and...

Exploring the relationship between activity and impact

Exploring the relationship between activity and impact The Hamster Wheel Many of us have kept hamsters – really cute rodents who provide hours of entertainment with their antics and often serve valuable life lessons for children about taking care of other beings....

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.” As the tempo builds, the action gets more...

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. This not...

Aligning with Purpose

A number of people have talked to me about how difficult they find this time in history. The political upheaval, lack of civil discourse, widening disparity in wealth, increases in violent events, rapid changes at work, at home and at church – all have people...