“We’re good at calling each other out. But can we call each other in?” That was the question someone posed in a recent webinar I attended on the #metoo movement. On that webinar, I heard wonderful men of all races and ages say that they genuinely want to become more aware and skillful in gender relations, but […]
Normally this blog focuses on ways that individual leaders can blend grit and grace for maximum positive impact. But the grit-grace imbalance that we often see in the workplace takes place in a larger context and at a larger scale. One person’s leadership sits within a corporate culture… which sits within a larger regional/national culture… which […]
(Photo credit: Girl Statue by Kristen Visbal) “Don’t say that to me. Don’t do that to me. I hate it.” That’s the phrase that author Barbara Kingsolver teaches her daughters to say when they want someone to stop what they’re doing. Nothing passive or aggressive about it; just a clear “cut it out.” In this #MeToo, […]
I never imagined I’d be writing this post. But I have coached more stressed and grieving people over the past year than I have in my whole career. Challenges of every sort seem to be buffeting us, and their effects accompany us into all aspects of our lives… including into the workplace and into the […]
How surprised were you by the number of #metoo’s on your social media a few weeks ago? I found the magnitude of those affected by sexual misconduct absolutely breathtaking. Behind every #metoo, there is the face of at least one aggressor. My own #metoo represents four different men over the course of my life whose sexual […]
Ah, management: that sweet gig where you disseminate upper management’s coherent strategies, delegate work to your ample staff, ponder the big picture and get home in time for dinner… …said no manager, ever. The great majority of my executive coaching clients report feeling taxed to the max. They put in 10 – 12 hours at […]
Ever since I’ve been in the workplace, which is a long time now, diversity has been touted as a business and moral imperative. Most organizations hold diversity as a core value. Yet 50 years into this push for diversity, and with a workforce growing more diverse by the day, why do we still need to […]
Set bold goals. Drive for results. Accelerate growth. Foster competition. Push people to excel. This is the ‘grit’ side of business success, and it’s become a favored playbook in the start-up world. This formula has produced dizzying growth and investor bonanzas for countless new companies. So what’s not to love about a strategy like this? […]
You’ve found yourself leading in a time of crisis: which is to say, you are guiding others in a time of reality-shifting change. If you’ve been reading the other posts in this series, you’ve joined me in exploring several tasks that are especially helpful for leading in times like this: Catching one’s breath Confronting what’s happening and Connecting to […]
This is the fourth of my five-part series on crisis leadership. If you’re like many people, you tend to equate ‘crisis’ with ‘disaster.’ But the word crisis actually comes from the Greek word meaning ‘separation.’ It describes any event – whether positive, negative or neutral – that separates a new reality from an old one. Thinking about crisis […]