Category Archives: Leadership

The Clear Leader

I used to be confused about what it means to be productive. I used to think being busy and filling up my calendar with appointments proved how busy I was and therefore – how productive I was. I’ve learned that nothing could be farther from the truth – not just for me – but for others as well. Recently, I was talking with a potential client and patiently listening to him tell me how busy he was. He confided that he frequently missed appointments, phone calls and often kept people waiting. I tried as gently as possible to suggest that …

The Second Layer of Truth

Each of us has our own truth. It is rarely the same from one person to the next. People challenge each other with their different truths. However, it is important for us as leaders to keep speaking our truth without judgment and blame. How does one do this? In the past, I have told my truth from a Self Righteous place. But that kind of dialogue creates resistance. Even if you are “right” and there is value in your truth for another, it will not be heard. It may sound odd but learning to speak more truthfully, for me, meant …

A New Year and a New Way to Be

Dear Blog Followers: As we round the corner into another year, here’s what you can look forward to from me this coming year. I have spent the last 9 months completing many important projects in my own Life and Leadership Business. One of my focuses has been to add clarity to what I feel is a new definition for Leadership during our changing times. Therefore, I have interviewed, read and conversed with many of the world’s leading thought agents on the subject. The result is an approach to Life and Leadership challenges that will assist you in creating the most …

The Ease In Excellence

The mastery of precision inspires me. It’s a rarity in a world of get quick fixes. If you want to be reminded of the excellence in leadership, I recommend an evening out to your local symphony orchestra. The focus required to bring together a band of wind, percussion, horns etc….is a pristine example of sharpness. The results are magical and far reaching. People are touched by that kind of commitment. Why? Because for me sitting there, it seems effortless and as the Orchestra leader waves his wand with such alacrity, the entire team of musicians responds with ease. We all …

The Journey of Leadership

If I don’t love what I am doing, I ought not to do it at all. Why? Because if I am doing something because I think I “have” to, my performance is weak. I know this to be true for me, as there have been times in my life where I rationalized my half enthusiastic participation in the name of appeasement. Today, and in my life; I refuse to allow that way of being to exist. Yes, I realize that many of us reading this message feel we have no choice in what we are doing. It would be ridiculous …

A Perspective On Leadership

I had some big challenges in my life this week. I could not see clearly. I felt as if I was caught on a mountain in the middle of a foggy storm. It was uncomfortable because I could not see clearly how to navigate the situation. I was stuck and upset and frozen. Have you ever felt that way? I know most of us do from time to time. I think it is a natural part of living life. To me, the question is not whether I will ever feel lost sometimes. The question is more: What will I do …

Gratitude: The Key To Freedom

Gratitude is access to positive leadership. I submit to you the possibility that without it you can’t sustain any forward motion in your life or business. Consider that you work hard to reach your goals. You reach some of them and maybe not all of them. Because our world is somewhat conditioned to look at what we don’t have, you focus on what is not working. That focus gets us stuck and life becomes meaning-less or less than purposeful. So how do I get unstuck? I get free the same way you do. Like a good Teflon pan, I don’t …

There Are Two Sides At The Board Room Table

Almost everyone had that doubtful look on their faces. I could tell nobody on the Board had bought into the possibility of accomplishing the goals we had just finished strategizing. I heard things like, “It’s not likely to happen in this economy”; “Our share in the market has done nothing but shrink over the last 36 months”; “I can’t sign off on a plan that’s not based in reality.” Then, a voice of true possibility emerged from the board room table. Her voice was powerful and filled with velocity. Allow me to paraphrase what I heard her say. She spoke …

How Do You like Your Coffee?

I bought a cup of coffee the other morning. It was lukewarm. This fine establishment touts the piping hot freshness of their coffee. For many years of my life I would have let it be. I would have let it slide and chosen peace over principle. The problem is, appeasing other people rarely ends up peacefully. It’s lazy and doesn’t serve the clarity that we all deserve. Taking the easy road avoids the possible transformation that can occur from actually dealing with the situation. It happens through a very deep rooted inner commitment. For example, lots of us leaders say …