The ability to take meaningful action is required if anything (and we do mean anything) is going to change in your life. Whether you are in the throes of life changes, holiday demands, or leading into your career future, as executive coaches for a combined 40+ years, we’ve seen the difference that meaningful action can make in the lives of individuals, and in the trajectory of organizations. Most of us know how to see what’s wrong. Our brains scan for…
As you know, we have a lot invested in you taking good care of yourself because we know that you are your instrument. If you’re not taking good care of yourself, you’ll be more tired, less creative, more reactive, and less resilient in the face of all that’s coming at you. That said, you may be asking, What does it really mean to take care of myself? Followed by all the ways your life and the world is pressing you…
We’ve heard from so many of you as you struggle to know how to move forward in this difficult time, that we want to share a lesson that can be game-changing in your personal and professional life. And that is that voting is not always the best way to a decision. As we work with communities, non-profit organizations, and businesses, we frequently see decisions being made by a vote. It makes sense as we have all grown up with the…
This political season has amplified a clear division in our country between US and THEM. The ‘US’s and the ‘THEM’s of our country are both experiencing great pain. From pain comes fear, and from fear, anger. US versus THEM. As coaches and consultants, we have quite a bit of expertise working with and understanding people, and the thing we have seen over and over is that everyone wants to be seen and heard. Everyone. People want to know that their…
Whether you’re leading a multinational organization or a family of 4, if you’re going to be a successful leader you need to take care of your health, get enough rest, move your body, and stay connected with people you care about. Yet, even with that knowledge, we all have those times when we hit the wall. It may be that you were traveling across multiple time zones, had several evening meetings in a row, or had a young one up…
One of the key aspects of being a good leader is determining the road forward and figuring out how to stay on that road despite the sometimes unfavorable conditions. We often meet individuals who turn off the road to success for what appears to be an immediate gain without considering how this short-term diversion will impact their long-term goal. Each of these distractions puts them on the road to nowhere. We’ve been working with a lot of organizations of late…
Do you remember that feeling of simple childhood joy, like you could do anything you dreamed? Do you remember the many times you were asked as a kid what you wanted to be when you grew up? Without even knowing it, that question probably shaped your current work satisfaction, and it may be limiting your success today. Many of us have chosen life and work based on childhood dreams and/or the values that someone else held for us when…
Linda was recently describing the experience of doing her PhD dissertation research. She said that although she was interested in the question she was studying, she felt fearful and incompetent about taking on such a large project knowing that it would require her to do a fair amount of work that simply didn’t interest her. So, instead of tackling her dissertation she cleaned the back of the refrigerator—literally! As she scrubbed, she realized that in the face of…
Last summer there was an article by Kathryn Schulz in the New Yorker called “The Really Big One” about the scientifically based prediction of a devastating earthquake that is overdue in the northwest. Living in Portland, OR, we took notice. At this point, over one year later, there is considerable effort going into preparing for this potential disaster. Most people understand the need to prepare for disaster even if they don’t do it. What most of us forget is that…
As you may have noticed, we love helping people succeed! While we often help people succeed at the intersection of their life and their work, we believe these skills are of value to anyone trying to choose happiness and overcome overwhelm. And, we know you’ll get closer to happiness and more effectively be able to manage all that’s on your plate if you get the right people on your team. For some of you, your team is the group of…
We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with leaders, teams, and individuals who are passionate about growing in their leadership and in their ability to create cultures of psychological safety and engagement.
Carpenter Smith Consulting is a Women Business Enterprise, Oregon Cert ID 7047.
