Finding your focus in challenging times

Finding your focus in challenging times

Accepting the wobble, finding some grace I want to share an idea that really struck a chord as I’ve been struggling to find my own focus in recent days: “Now more than ever, we must abandon the performative and embrace the authentic. Our essential mental shifts require humility and patience. Focus on real internal change. These human transformations will be honest, raw, ugly, hopeful, frustrated, beautiful, and divine…. Be slow. […]

We All Belong.

We All Belong.

Getting grounded and/or creative and/or productive Hi, I hope that you are well, finding your bearings, and well-connected to your support system. [Pressed for time? Invitations and resources listed below.] WE ALL BELONG. I love this image and this idea. It’s from a poster at the Orca K-8 School in Seattle: agreements for how they tend to their community. Everything grows out of the first line: WE ALL BELONG. What would the world […]

Weaving ourselves together

Weaving ourselves together

Sharing resources + getting together (virtually) Hi, I hope that you are well, finding your bearings, and well-connected to your support system. [Pressed for time? Invitations and resources listed below.] This is hard. And it’s going to be challenging for awhile. This pandemic is bringing alarming realities into every region of the world, enormous disruptions to daily routines, and a profound sense of uncertainty. And nobody is immune to what’s unfolding, […]

The highest performing teams have ‘psychological safety’

The highest performing teams have ‘psychological safety’

Google’s two-year study on team performance revealed that “The highest performing teams have one thing in common: psychological safety, the belief that you won’t be punished when you make a mistake.” Psychological safety isn’t about coddling, it’s about creating the conditions for people to engage effectively in analytical reasoning, creative problem-solving, and open-minded collaboration. Many workplaces default to blaming and defensiveness rather than thoughtful analysis and solution-oriented curiosity. How’s the […]

Questioning and defining leadership

Questioning and defining leadership

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what leadership means, and why it matters. In the context of current events, an idea that I picked up from the Jesuits strikes a chord: loosely, ‘we are all leaders, leading all the time, either poorly or well’. If that’s true, what does that mean for how we show up: in the public sphere and in our private lives? What’s the impact we’re having within […]

Leadership, lizards, and a joyful invitation

Leadership, lizards, and a joyful invitation

This is a different kind of post. I love my work. I love the in-the-room, eye-to-eye, light-bulbs-going-on, courage-wings-flapping part of facilitating programs for leaders, entrepreneurs, and instigators. I get to bring together, challenge, and support AMAZING people who are committed to some big ideas in the world. Together, we create an experience that fosters authentic connections, deep learning, heightened clarity, and inspired action. I am so lucky that I get to do this work. I […]

Leadership and fear, part 2: Squeaky voices and lessons learned

Leadership and fear, part 2: Squeaky voices and lessons learned

Last time, I wrote about flapping my little courage wings: taking a vocal workshop in spite of my longstanding fear of singing in public. My rational mind knows that there’s no actual danger here. I won’t break a limb, and it’s not likely that the other kids (fully-formed, polite, Northwestern adults) will openly mock me.  At the very worst, I’ll feel embarrassed by my rusty, awkward voice, and I might […]

Leadership and fear, part 1: Scaring myself on purpose

Leadership and fear, part 1: Scaring myself on purpose

A couple of weeks ago, I flapped my little courage wings and signed up for a vocal workshop. When I mentioned this to my consulting partner, he raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and laughed. He is perplexed and slightly stunned that I would CHOOSE to spend a free Sunday afternoon with strangers, doing something that terrifies me. And at the same time, he knows that this is the kind […]