Blog
Turning Potential Into Results
Bring the Redwoods Indoors
One of the many benefits of living in the SF Bay Area is that I’m nearby the ocean, the mountains and all that’s in-between. One of the amazing in-betweens is the magnificent redwood. Learning about them might inspire you to bring their magnificence into your team. Foundation: Root SystemsYou would think that a 350 foot-tall…
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Ask for Tension … (really?)
Advancement takes effort. When the effort is fueled by a self-generated commitment (part 1 in this series: your “why”) and not an other-imposed “should”, everything and everyone moves forward. When people continually seek to expand relationships and build trust (part 2:accountability knots), that behavior benefits everyone. With these two commitments activated, when support is needed,…
Read MoreAccountability Knots
In Part 1 of this 3-part series, I offered a climbing analogy for leading yourself with your commitments, your “why’s”, and I promised to share the calls-and-responses between climber and belayer that exemplify support through accountability and how to translate them into team success. Read on! (That’s me in blue jacket, belaying niece Caity.) In…
Read MoreWalk your Talk … Vertically!!
When I tell people I’m taking an indoor climbing class at Pacific Edge, their “Good for you!” is usually followed quickly by “Why?” My Whys I have several whys. Every day, I ask leaders to commit to something without knowing how to do it and without a guarantee of success. I ask them to step…
Read MoreLearn to Interrupt (yourself, not others)
Before last month, if you would have asked me if I was a good listener, I would have quickly and assuredly said “Yes.” Now, my response is, “I’m learning to be a better one.” Why the change? I’ve been engaged in dialogues, the art of listening. Dialogue is the discipline of collective learning and inquiry.…
Read MoreBe an Olympian at Work
The Olympics are here!! With them come all the excitement of underdogs versus shoe-ins, veterans versus first-timers and photo-finish dramas. Athletes commit long before they know if they will have the opportunity to compete. They commit to the idea, to the possibility of being an Olympian and promise to do what it takes to…
Read MoreThe Canary in Leadership’s No Man’s Land
Last week I learned I was wrong about something I was absolutely, bet-you-$100-sure about. In my 40 years of playing tennis, I was sure “No Man’s Land” on the tennis court was located just inside the baseline and extended through about half of the service box. It’s called “No Man’s Land” because if a player…
Read MoreAre you living and leading by design or by default?
Riddle me this: No matter your gender or geography, your doubts or desires, your highs or lows, if you lead 5 or 500, you are always influenced by me. What am I? Answer: The conversation you have about the future. The conversation that is shaping your life, how you lead, how you follow, right…
Read MoreCubicle Concussions
Remember connecting the dots as a kid and seeing the squirrel emerge? As kids, we had to move our crayon from 1 to 2 to 3 because we couldn’t imagine what the picture was going to be. With more experience, we could “see” the picture without drawing any line. It’s time to connect the dots…
Read MoreWhat Washington Politics can teach us about Office Politics
Both networking experts and relationship gurus tell us the same thing: If you want to develop a relationship that lasts, don’t begin it by discussing religion or politics. Why? The topics are too emotion-laden, too side-taking, too side-making, too divisive. This conventional wisdom advises us to steer clear of discussing either topic at work. It’s…
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