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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 She felt beaten down by outdated procedures and processes.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…

Over the last few years, there seems to be a new singing competition on every television channel. Even the 2020 finalists in America’s Got Talent – where all types of acts are encouraged – was comprised of 6 singers out of 10 contestants. Interestingly, one of the four non-singing acts won the $1M first prize…

An executive leadership team I supported was entrenched in a conversation about vulnerability. One member said, “I’m not big on being vulnerable, but I do my best to be authentic.” It hit me then: We should always be authentic, and vulnerability should neither be a goal nor something for which we aim. But sometimes, it…

I love to hear my husband’s stories that start with, “Dad taught me…” The importance of family, entrepreneurship, and adventure as a staple of life are a few of his favorite topics. For example, Doug learned about profitability at age 8 when he was reminded that he had to pay for the lawnmower rental and…

Why do some executives operate in an abundance mindset while others seem to have a scarcity mindset? Like tree leaves gasping for air and grappling for sun, perhaps the level of competition in business has us striving to secure–or even grow–our position in that dense forest of rivalry. When we perceive competition for power, resources,…

The mere mention of the word conflict can elicit stomach pain, angst and even heartache. For most people, it certainly is no fun to be in conflict with someone, which is why so many avoid it. Interestingly, leaders in organizations who avoid conflict may be doing harm to an individual or team. I worked with…

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…

Remember the Mom question, “If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you too?”  It may have been our first encouragement to think independently. That, and a type of wake-up call that we may do and say things as a group that we would never consider as an individual. Welcome to groupthink. When I typed…

Who is the star of the show at work or in life, the person taking on a heroic role? You may know someone playing this role, or maybe it is you. This person feels the world is their oyster. Being a hero can feel glorious at times and, at other times, it can feel lonely.…

In recent weeks, my husband Perry and I have had more conversations than normal. When all was “right” with the world—or so we mistakenly thought—things were fairly quiet in Jenuwin Perrydise, the name we affectionately call our humble abode. However, lately we have been engrossed in dialogue about injustice and our future. We wonder what…