The Impact of Perceptions
When was the last time you entered an interaction thinking one thing and then realized later on that what you initially thought wasn’t accurate? Most of the time this misalignment of perceptions is harmless. But sometimes it can have strong negative implications on the outcome of the interaction. Often we are not aware of our […]
Can a Leader Be “Tough” and Acknowledge Peoples’ Humanity at the Same Time?
Absolutely. Parents do it every day. Organizational leaders do it every day. In my work doing leadership development coaching in partnership with horses, participants often start out with an assumption that the horses “should” be compliant when asked to do something, like move where a person wants them to go. When the horse is not […]
Is This My Bias or Am I Borrowing It?
Remember, we see the world not as it is but as we are. Most of us see through the eyes of our fears and our limiting beliefs and our false assumptions. – Robin S. Sharma A colleague with whom I am working to launch an in-depth diversity training for leaders recently asked me to join her […]
Finding Courage to Move Through Change
The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress. Charles Kettering NOTE: In light of the ongoing challenges we as a human race are facing with social injustices, I’m reposting this blog from several years ago as I think it is relevant to where we are […]
When Knowing is a Curse
“Most under-communication is inadvertent. People are simply unaware of the gap between what’s in their mind and what’s in yours, and you suffer from that same lack of awareness. In fact, a team of researchers writing in the Journal of Political Economy labeled this phenomenon ‘the curse of knowledge.’ It means that […]
Leaders Who Aren’t Afraid of the “V” Word
A leadership development webinar I signed up for (purely out of curiosity) offered as an outcome of the session that I will learn “What leaders need to do to create purpose, connection, and energy to move forward.” In the spirit of authenticity – something my equine team members demand of me all the time – […]
Information Without Action Isn’t Developing Your Employees
Information. In this digital age, it’s everywhere. No matter what we are trying to improve or fix, we can find information online, at seminars, or – for some people – in books (yes, they still exist!). But information without action is just “noise.” My husband and I have rescued and adopted Australian Shepherds for 13 […]
Confronting Our Beliefs About Power
Power. Just the word can evoke a variety of responses from people. To some, the word is a positive representation of being able to rise above adversity and achieve goals – as in being empowered. To others, the word is a negative representation of how people control others through fear. The word itself is neither […]
When Leaders Choose to Lead
Uncertainty. It’s something that is guaranteed no matter how successful we are. It surrounds us in our personal and professional lives. Organizational leaders spend millions of dollars and thousands of hours strategizing on how to battle uncertainty by trying to create certainty. But it’s a losing battle. As soon as it seems like a situation […]
Leadership On Hold
Recently a woman who completed a leadership program with me – I’ll call her Susan – shared that she had just been hired for a new position in the organization where she has worked as the office coordinator for many years. The other position had been open and filled twice over the past 10 years […]