Posts by Mary Ellen Clagett
Expanding Your Influence
How do you expand your influence in today’s climate? It seems everywhere we turn we are confronted with contradictory information and opinions set in stone. We can even have a few of our own. It’s a challenge to feel connected as we tiptoe around potentially volatile subjects. And, if we aren’t connected, we have little…
Read MoreWhat’s Next?
I was walking my new rescue dog, Maggie, this morning when I ran into a new neighbor walking his dog. He commented on how much he was looking forward to things returning to “normal”. While I agreed that I was anticipating the day we would be meeting each other face to face again, I didn’t…
Read MoreLooking for Common Ground
My father loved poetry. As children, we were taught to recite poems on our cross-country drives to see the grandparents. I’m amazed how often one of those poems will cross my mind when I’m faced with a work situation. For example, when a client was lamenting that his team lacked interpersonal skills, the poem “It…
Read MoreTrust is a Critical Commodity
As if the pandemic isn’t enough to handle, we also appear to be going through a trust crisis. Regardless of which side of the political divide you are on, the issue of trust regarding our leaders has been at the forefront of many conversations. And it bleeds into our lives. My “go to” when I…
Read MoreGive Yourself a Break
One of the reasons we founded LAITHOS was our passion for living an integrated life. Each of us had gone the route of giving 95% to our jobs and 5% to everything else. And each of us discovered along the way that when we increased the percentage towards “everything else”, our sustainable productivity and job…
Read MoreWhat Do You Want to be Known For?
We are constantly bombarded with advertisements and slogans establishing a company’s brand. To this day, if someone mentions the company Alka-Seltzer, their tagline (from the 1970s) “Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz, Oh what a relief it is” automatically plays in my head. I’m sure there are plenty of examples of brands playing around in yours. These…
Read MoreYour MVP is Your Team
As 2020 comes to a close and we look towards 2021, few of us could have imagined all that transpired this past year. Our understanding of what is essential and non-essential has been redefined. Old teams were disbanded and new teams were formed to deal with unanticipated events. Working and living in a virtual world…
Read MoreForge Ahead
There are a lot of articles written about healthy debate, team alignment, and co-creation. They are filled with insightful advice about team dynamics. Seldom do they discuss when to stop talking and start doing. I’m not saying that there isn’t value in talking; however, when there isn’t a process and deadline for making a decision…
Read MoreThe Wisdom of the System
I’m sure there must be a Star Trek episode (or two or three) that deals with “leveraging the wisdom of the system.” The phrase is right down its alley. Their concept of everyone’s input having value is in line with the lessons that the show teaches. Nine times out of ten, the crew of the…
Read MoreThe Value of a Strategic Pause
I’ve written a number of blogs on staying the course because it’s a topic that consistently surfaces with clients. How do you balance the push for agility and innovation with the fact that you need to give things time to work? Coming from a government agency where the Director rotated every three to four years,…
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