Here we are again – it’s the holidays. We are already being bombarded by ads online, on TV, in the paper, on buses, even in bathroom stalls to take advantage of the after-Christmas sales. Buy, buy, buy and you will be happy. But what we know is that consuming does not make us happy. It provides us a sense of satisfaction for a moment and then we are on to the next thing looking to feel filled-up. …
We had a different post prepared for today, but in light of the tragedies in both Oregon and Connecticut, it seems important to devote this week to the power, and importance, of your leadership to the healing of our world. There is, in each of us, a leader. We urge you to bring the leader in you forward and offer your voice to help build and maintain healthy: streets, neighborhoods, communities, friends, co-workers, and family. By bringing…
There was an advertisement on the radio recently and they opened by saying, “No matter what’s happening in the world, your world is still happening.” We don’t remember what they were trying to sell but we did think that the statement captured an important nugget of truth. Often, as we work with leaders, of all walks of life, they will say things that diminish the importance of their stress, their pace, their health, in short, their lives. …
It’s that time of year again, when you will likely be invited to holiday events, see friends and family in celebration of the holidays, or you may participate in a community effort to help those in need. As you connect with people, whether you haven’t seen them in a while or are just meeting them, it’s an opportunity to teach them who you are and what they can trust about knowing you. In the product world, that is…
While we may not always know it, we are all hard-wired to want to be seen and heard. It starts immediately upon our entry into this world and if you ever doubt it, just watch a young child in a restaurant engaging most of the diners within 10 feet and getting them to smile and make faces for them. Being seen and heard is so important to our physical and neurological growth that babies that are not smiled at and…
People often seek executive coaching when they are stuck in a particular way of doing something or thinking about something that no longer works for them. They are, as it were, seeing the world from a perspective that isn’t moving them forward or connecting them with others in ways that they believe is best. We recently met with a VP of IT who described being irritable, angry and short with family and colleagues. He was focused on all that…
Last spring, we had the privilege of being in Rwanda, Africa for 3 weeks. It was striking to see how much the people of Rwanda had to work with one another just to live – because in Africa, it is work to live. It was stunning how hard it was and yet the harshness highlighted the joys that can be found daily in life and human connection. Here at home, we meet with people all the time who do just the opposite, they…
This summer an interesting commercial ran on television: There was a guy (named Mayhem) who was riding on the outside of the driver’s side of the car and became the driver’s blind spot. When the driver looked into the outside mirror to change lanes, Mayhem gave the A-Okay. So, the driver changed lanes (not seeing the car that was in her blind spot) and a huge crash ensued. During the collision, Mayhem was shouting with delight as the driver screamed…
Fifty-two weeks ago, we sent out the first of our Monday Morning Business Coach series. At the time, we made a commitment to offer usable nuggets of the expertise we have accumulated in our work and lives; but privately, we wondered whether we had anything useful to say week after week. Here we are fifty-two weeks later and we are delighted to say that we have gotten feedback from many of you that these nuggets have been profoundly helpful…
As coaches and consultants, we find that many of our clients care passionately about their work, their organizations, their teams, their families and their communities but matter little in their own lives. While this approach may seem to be selfless and generous, it is in fact shortsighted and misguided. If you are to be available to the people and efforts that you care about, you must think hard about creating a life in which you matter. From the great religious traditions to…