The Blog

Here's a bit of a paradox for you to consider:  people often wish that their lives could be richer, fuller, happier, or whatever other superlative seems relevant, yet they resist doing things differently.  Do you see the contradiction?  In case you don't, I'll defer to Albert Einstein who so eloquently said that the definition of insanity is doing what you've always done and expecting something different. 

That's right my friend, you cannot in good conscience expect your life to be different if you're unwilling to try doing something different.  What I call the "you-all-change-while-I-enjoy-the-benefits" mentality only serves to keep you stuck, circling endlessly on the merry-go-round of your life when you really want to be on one of the roller coasters.  If you want things to BE different, it's time for you to DO things differently.

I know, it probably seems bizarre that I would write a leadership article about the holidays. Let me assure you, it’s not. Leadership isn’t a quality or trait that gets put aside during the holiday season. Leadership is something that is required – and is present – through every part of the year, through every part of our lives.

Those of us who hold leadership roles in our professional lives may choose to take more of a follower or ally role in personal contexts – and yet, it’s important to remember that our leadership isn’t a function of role or title. Instead, as I’ve said a kazillion times before (more or less), leadership is about how we choose to be. With this in mind, I want to share a thought with you about navigating and leading through the holiday frenzy that surrounds us as we head into the New Year.

It’s official: the last three weeks of 2017 are upon us.

For many of you, this means that your mind is starting to think ahead to 2018. It’s as though a switch has been flipped and it is officially “Goal-Setting Time.” (And for those of you haven’t yet felt the switch flip, rest assured, it’s going to happen soon!).

In light of this, this time of year lends itself to a review of the concrete, the measureable, the tangible and quantifiable, both in terms of what this past year has brought us, and in terms of what the new year could hold.

The questions that start to get bandied about include things like:

In the last two weeks, I’m seeing more and more of a particular quality in the folks around me. I’ve seen it before; and it seems to be rearing its head again. It’s a quality – a way of being – that is so counter to the goals of effective leadership – actually, it’s counter to effective living in general, that I’ll confess, it drives me a little bonkers!

Want to know what it is?

Want to Leap into 2018? Do This First!

2017 is winding down. For many of you, this means you’re feeling the pull to look ahead, to set some tangible goals for 2018, even as you tie up loose ends for the current year.

This is the time of year when many folks start to feel conflicted, overwhelmed, and a wee bit short of patience. There is so very much to be done, and it seems like time is running out.

I get it.

The challenge, however, isn’t the perceived lack of time.
The challenge isn’t the insanely long to-do list.
The challenge is something else altogether.
The challenge is that you’re getting ready to leap ahead, and it’s not yet time to do so.

This time of year folks are often mentally already into the year ahead. Our “planning brains” want to be considering schedules, meetings, projects, deadlines – you get the idea. In and of itself, this isn’t a problem. Planning is a good thing.