Posts by Mary Ellen Clagett
Trust 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,…
Read MoreThe Will to Continue
A friend told the story of how she sat in her car each morning trying to get the energy to get out and go inside for work. When asked why, she spoke about how everything seemed so hard. She felt beaten down by outdated procedures and processes. She didn’t feel she had the power to…
Read MoreStay the Course
I recently moved to Florida and have a view of the garden from my office. I have been fascinated watching the lizards and geckos running around with amazing speed and changing direction on a dime. Feel familiar? I often felt that way at work – we were constantly changing direction and not staying with anything…
Read MoreCan’t Stand the Heat
My father loved poetry. He often had us learn poems that we four kids would recite in unison as we rode cross-country in the car to visit the grandparents. The title of one popped into my head as I sat down to write about toxic cultures – “It Isn’t the Church, It’s You.” It’s easy…
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