You Cannot Change Until You Overcome Your Own Immunity
My client, Laura¹, was late for her own wedding. Not traditionally late. Really late. The minister almost called it off. And she’s been late for almost everything for decades since. Lateness has been her life-long pattern. She wants it to stop yet feels powerless. We jumped in by exploring the costs of her lateness habit. For her, there were no…
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If You Really Knew Me…
…that I think A LOT. That I hold myself to impossible standards. …that I often feel scared. Angry. Jealous. Wronged. Blaming. Overwhelmed—there’s not enough time, money, love, whatever. Sometimes I feel powerless to change things. I am below the line often. And it is all fine. It’s perfect in fact. I am starting to truly understand this and believe it.…
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Blame or Shift?
Recently a friend texted for advice about a “hard client he was working with” (his words). He indicated he thought she needed some tough love. He asked me to tell him how to do that. I agreed to have a conversation to explore his situation. He told me that he had spent three hours the night before crafting an…
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Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast…¹
You’ve just hired Selma as your new controller. She has lunch in the staff room on Day 1 to quickly to get to know her new colleagues. She tells one of them that she’s excited to have found a company that develops and promotes their people. After all, she’s been told that by every leader who interviewed her so she…
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Lead Like a Montessori Teacher
Imagine a workplace where all leaders respect their people, provide clear and consistent expectations, and encourage employees to be independent, intrinsically motivated critical thinkers. Such a workplace would look a lot like a Montessori school in fact. I read this post on the 7 phrases Montessori teachers use because my daughter goes to a Montessori afterschool program. Right away my…
Read MoreThe Promise of Leadership
My cousin Matt married his love Abby the weekend before last in Fredericton, New Brunswick. It was wonderful to witness their love and commitment in front of a large gathering of family and friends. Like them, many of you have walked down an aisle and pledged to be true in good times and in bad. And what’s more, you’ve made…
Read MoreHow $12,000 Turned Into $1,200,000
Leadership development is one of the highest levers a company has to improve business performance. There is a 38% probability that increasing leadership effectiveness will translate into higher business performance¹. Few other investments in companies can provide such lift potential. The following true story shows how one VP’s leadership development led directly to $1,200,000 in additional revenue. Soon after we…
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Got Commander’s Intent? A Key to Great Leadership
Ask any CEO if s/he recommends leading their company like a military general. Most would say a resounding “No!’. And yet, a well lead army is like a fine-tuned machine. Most of the companies we work with are not so finely tuned (yet). We don’t like war. We do like great leadership. And we especially like an approach called Commander’s…
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Your (Life) Raft Could Sink You
A traveler was on an epic journey. The kind we have heard about in the writings of antiquity– a hero’s journey of sorts. As he was traveling he encountered a river that was too deep and fast moving to cross without help. The dismayed traveler looked up and down the shore to find a bridge, fallen log, or stones to…
Read MoreLeader: What’s Your Status?
I’m a rookie when it comes to improv theatre. Even as a rookie, though, I have already learned a ton. You might be surprised how much of it translates into how I coach and lead. I’ve written before about how the improvised leader is better than you think. In that post, I was focussed on an improv basic called the…
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