May I boast for a minute? I am Ignorant, Slow, and Significantly Limited. This would have been impossible for me to see in my 20s or 30s or even 40s. Because of my own identity or self-image, I couldn’t have seen myself as ignorant, slow or significantly limited, and so I would certainly not let … Continued
Maybe you have 2022 goals. Yay. Maybe you don’t. No big deal. In both cases, you may have trepidation. Self-doubt and some past disappointments with goal-setting may cause you to seriously doubt if you’ll hit your goals (or even stay after them), and you think: So why set myself up for disappointment? But what if … Continued
Human nature is remarkably simple when you realize that feeling comes first. Therein lies the secret. Take covid. Relative to covid – and all things – Homo sapiens live in three places. Homo sapiens look back to: Facts to see-think: 800,000 deaths in the US. Untold suffering and loss. Disruption. Here’s the simple part of looking back: Feeling(s)! For homo … Continued
I published today a little combo piece. I teed it up with the power of a great quotation (“to be or not to be”), then with a Gandhi quote on the subtle yet highly efficient power of love. I suggest(ed) that if you have the paradoxically vulnerable strength to show your heart to those who … Continued
Ever wonder how a great quotation can be so meaningful? “To be or not to be…” Maybe because it’s the paradox: common sense and uncommon wisdom. It reminds you of what you know, but it tells it to you in a way that flips your brain to completely change the way you think – and … Continued
In my last post, I shared the inspiration and perspective I had received from reading Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning while I was in a period of suffering. Frankl gave me comfort. Then, when I shared both the suffering and the comfort, so many of you offered me further comfort, solidarity, and inspiration. I … Continued
I have had a hard year. I won’t go into all the reasons why, but to name just a few… My wife accepted a big job in DC, and I’ve been trying to live productively in two places 2000 miles apart. One of our kids was diagnosed with a lifelong auto-immune condition. Another struggled to … Continued
Last week, I wrote about Dolores the PhD science student, and the power that her tenured leadership lab researcher had over her teaching assignments, research and future career. Dolores spoke (her) truth to his power. I promised that I’d share the sequel. If you consider times when you perhaps challenged authority, you might anticipate that … Continued
When I first began writing about dyads – a phenomenon we describe as “leading by two” or LX2 – I was particularly focused on the what, i.e., special pairs who lead a whole organization. I have coached tens of these pairs: e.g., co-founders, CEO/COO, school president/principal, etc. And, in our work, we have realized that LX2 is … Continued
When Laura and I are coaching individuals, pairs, and teams, these people offer the amazing gift of peeling back the layer of what I call “cool me.” Our clients present “cool me, no worries” to investors, employees, partners and themselves. I’d like to show a little from the last two weeks of what indeed is … Continued