Blog

Turning Potential Into Results

Listening beyond the “snap”

By Camille Smith / September 4, 2018

It happened last week.  On my way to a meeting, I discovered I was driving without my license. My knee-jerk reactions: stomach drops, hands clench the wheel, eyes dart looking for the coppers. My thoughts: Do I have time to go get it?  I forgot my cell, too. What if my client calls me along the…

Read More

WYSIWYG: Who is the You?

By Camille Smith / July 6, 2018

When someone says “What You See Is What You Get”, they are saying “I’m being upfront and open.”  As they are proclaiming being transparent, they are also say it’s up to you to believe them or not. Surprise! It’s you! While no truer words were every spoken, I think the profoundness (and actuality) of the phrase WYSISWG is often missed. We think it’s…

Read More

Books can’t give you experience

By Camille Smith / May 10, 2018

I adore books. My shelves are filled with titles that promise insights about leadership, coaching, human dynamics, strategy, compassion, values.  After madly highlighting these work-related books in my effort to absorb their wisdom (and thus become wiser myself), I take a break and read fiction.  As it often happens in these non-work readings, the Ah-Ha…

Read More

Leader: Are you a Dropper-Offer or Developer?

By Camille Smith / April 29, 2018

We ask others to do things for us all the time – things we don’t want to do, things we don’t have the time to do, and things we couldn’t do even if we had the time.  We drop our suits at the dry cleaners, our car at the garage, and our kids at school.…

Read More

These times are our times

By Camille Smith / January 12, 2018

I’ve been trying to write a super-duper, kick-off-the-year message that would inspire you in your quest to make your unique contribution and be your best self at work and at home. I’ve been coming up blank.  Writing something about the January-ness of it all – a new beginning, out with the old/in with the new,…

Read More

When our self-talk comes out of another’s mouth

By Camille Smith / September 9, 2017

Channel surfing on Sunday, I stumbled upon the show “Off Camera with Sam Jones”.  Off Camera is hosted by director/photographer Sam Jones who created the show out of his passion for the long form conversational interview, and as a way to share his conversations with a myriad of artists, actors, musicians, directors, skateboarders, photographers, and writers…

Read More

Lions and Tigers and Liars, Oh My!

By Camille Smith / July 30, 2017

We’ve been lying as long as we’ve had language. Research shows that a child’s ability to bend the truth is a developmental milestone, much like walking and talking.  While our noses don’t grow like Pinocchio’s when we lie, research shows a person’s nose can “heat up” when they lie. Liars populate our literature (Gatsby; Lady…

Read More

Bring the Redwoods Indoors

By Camille Smith / June 20, 2017

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…

Read More

Ask for Tension … (really?)

By Camille Smith / February 2, 2017

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 More

Accountability Knots

By Camille Smith / January 20, 2017

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 More

Subscribe

Get Camille's latest posts!

Categories

Archives