Posts by Mary Ellen Clagett
Inspired to Act?
Inspiration motivates action by igniting enthusiasm, providing a vision, or evoking a sense of purpose. With inspiration, we are often energized to pursue a goal and overcome obstacles to produce tangible results. Yet, too often, we pause, lacking the inspiration for movement. It’s not surprising … our time is filled with things that need to…
Read MoreCommunity Engagement
What I love about writing our blogs is the chance I get to reflect and reengage with topics that affect our leadership. Today I’ve been reflecting on community and why I engage where I do. If I asked you to name your communities, how would you reply? And if I then asked you what part…
Read MoreDeclaring Your Vision
We’ve spent the past weeks exploring what is required to create a viable vision and we’ve reached a culminating step – declaration. How will you release your vision out into the world? Throughout my years, both in work and life, I have made a practice of declaring my visions. At a minimum, I post a…
Read MoreWhy Am I Doing This?
Often, we find ourselves so busy doing that we lose sight of our why. When you find yourself in this doing mode, do you remember what you desired as the ultimate outcome? Is it clear what you hoped to achieve either personally or professionally? Having a vision, a clear and aspirational description of the desired…
Read MoreNature’s Lessons
Cool nature fact: When you see more than one Aspen tree, they aren’t individual trees in a group; rather, they are connected by their roots underground. The stand (Aspens connected through their roots) is considered the largest single organism, by area, on Earth. Through their root system they share resources such as nutrients and water,…
Read MoreLight Your Fire
When I moved from Oahu to the Big Island, I found the landscape to be stark. With time, as I walked the lava fields with our three feral cats that had adopted us, I noticed the elements of growth around me. It came from unexpected sources and flourished in amazing places. This seems a perfect…
Read MoreWho Do You Trust?
Who do you trust? For most of us, our first answer is not “me”. Look at the photo above. “Little Mary Clagett knows that little girls shouldn’t play with little matches because they can start a fire, but if you must, then have plenty of help nearby!” At six years old, I definitely knew things.…
Read MoreWhat’s In There?
Last week we turned our focus onto the importance of connection – a key enabler to Expand Your Influence. One way to forge connection is real curiosity – to genuinely be interested in understanding and knowing more about those with whom we interact. Most of us glide along the surface at work … talking about…
Read MoreHello? Are You There?
We recently ran a workshop exercise where listeners became distracted as the talker was speaking of something that they cared about. When this happened, the person talking became unable to communicate their thoughts – they lost words and the motivation to continue. It’s quite disorienting when you feel that you aren’t being listened to –…
Read MoreWhere Do You Go?
When stuck in my thinking, there is something about staring out at the ocean that opens my mind to possibilities. I’m not sure if it’s hearing the rhythmic fall of the waves, wondering what lies beyond the horizon, or the dolphins that arc above the water that have me look below the surface … it…
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