Communications
Stories of APPRECIATION – How One Person or Idea Can Change the Trajectory of an Organization
Story #1 I once facilitated a planning retreat for a 17-person leadership team of a local technology company… In preparing some of the content, we decided to review the “2022 Milestones.” The CEO was going to prepare the slide and send it to me before the retreat. I received it one-day prior, and it contained…
Read MoreIn Every Type of Organization, Clear Communication, and Trust Drive Performance
The less energy you spend trying to figure out what the leader is thinking, or interpreting what’s being said, or not being said; the less you’re preoccupied with whether they trusts you… the more you can focus of producing results. Case in point… The Philadelphia Phillies, despite one of the most high-powered lineups in the…
Read MoreConnection, Inclusion and Working Remotely
We don’t often talk about the consequences of working remotely from the perspective of the remote employee… but we should. Working remotely is a growing trend that’s not likely to reverse itself anytime soon, and it’s worth preparing yourself and your team for one potential unintended consequence. Our need to belong to a group, or…
Read MoreFrom Artist to Executive Coach
From Artist to Executive Coach Ten reasons an arts education makes good business sense As an executive coach with a degree in fine art, I’m often asked “How did you go from artist to executive coach”? It’s a fair question. To clarify, in between I did spend a huge chunk of my career running a…
Read MoreCan The Arts Improve Business Performance?
Did you know that students who study art outperform students who don’t on the SAT? Or, that Nobel Laureates are 22 times more likely to be performing artists? Did you know that 400 CEO’s of major U.S. corporations rank creativity, collaboration and communication among the most critical skills for success in the 21st century? New…
Read MoreRethinking The Way We See
Last Friday, my associate, Mare Rosenbaum and I had the opportunity to participate in Amy Herman’s terrific session on Visual Intelligence with a group of FBI Intelligence Analysts in Washington, DC. Among other things, the program, titled Rethinking How We See, uses the visual arts to train agents how to sharpen our perception and look…
Read MoreRelax…It’s okay to be a little scared.
Whether we’re able to admit it or not, we’re all a little scared. Those who aren’t are either living a safe, comfortable, somewhat insular life, or are deluding themselves a bit. But for the vast majority of people who actively engage with the world and stretch into new experiences, life tends to bring out…
Read MoreYou’ve Just Returned From a Terrific Leadership Retreat….Now What?
Offsite meeting and leadership retreats, when they’re facilitated well, can be amazing. New energy, new ideas, deeper connections and clearer understanding are just some of the outcomes of successful retreats. But far too often, post-retreat implementation lags and is eventually replaced by new priorities and new focus, causing a gradual dissipation of energy, and a…
Read MoreConflict is Natural….and Manageable
Conflicts are normal in collaborative work environments. There are literally dozens of potential triggers that can derail a conversation or a relationship and inevitably, we all fall victim to conflict of one kind or another. Understanding a person’s personality better (what energizes them vs. what causes them stress) helps us avoid these conflict triggers. A…
Read MoreContext and Culture
To understand a leader’s context, it’s helpful to ask some very basic questions. First, what are they listening for? The way we listen is the structure through which we interpret the world. Regardless of who we are, we all listen for certain possibilities, and filter everything we see and hear accordingly. To understand leaders, you…
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