June 26th, 2014 — 6:30am
When an employee comes to you with a problem, it’s natural to think “How can I solve this problem?”
You can be an impactful leader by asking these instead:
What system improvements will prevent this problem in the future?
How do I want to influence my relationship with the person in this?
How do I want to advance the development of the person through this?
As for the immediate problem, ask the employee “What options do you see and which do you recommend?”
June 19th, 2014 — 6:30am
It’s natural to focus on the risks of launching and leading. It’s human, and fitting, to feel fear about what could go wrong when you step out to live and work the way you really want to.
There’s another risk that’s not as easy to feel. It’s the risk of coming to the end of your life having used just a fraction of your potential. That would be nothing short of tragic.
In the last month I’ve had many coaching conversations with clients and potential clients. I am truly grateful these fantastic human beings are walking this earth and applying their talents to doing work that matters.
And all of them have buckets of potential they haven’t tapped yet. As they are stepping up and making changes that stretch them and require them to draw on that potential, they feel the fear and the weight of doing bigger things.
They’re doing bigger things anyway, and that is nothing short of thrilling.
June 12th, 2014 — 6:30am
When you want a different career, a higher level of business success, a big change in your life and work, you might feel a tense and adrenaline-charged choice between A) taking a risky flying leap or B) staying miserably stuck.
Option C is almost always a better choice. Take a step. There’s no chasm to dramatically leap between where you are and where you want to be. Just an uneven landscape to navigate through over time.
Your brain imagines the chasm and creates the false choice between stuckness and flying leaps because it’s wired to keep you from leaving the illusory safety of the status quo.
Launch by taking a step. It’s far less risky (not less scary) than status quo and the flying leap, and far more likely to get you there.
June 5th, 2014 — 6:30am
In milliseconds we decide the other person’s basic intention. We quickly judge friend or foe.
“Is he for me or against me? Am I safe with her?”
When we don’t feel safe we get defensive, we don’t listen, we don’t take risks, we don’t open ourselves to change.
To grow, choose people you know are for you. It’s your responsibility to protect yourself and your aspirations from people who respond with fear, criticism, or negativity.
And pay it forward. Go out of your way to show and say that you are for the people you are working with.
