#3 – Know Your Values

Between now and March 22, I am happy to share “50 Ideas Worth Fighting For.” Our values guide our decision-making. Clear values make it possible for us to assess any significant question (Should I move there? Take that job? Work with/for those people? Build a stronger relationship with this person? Fight for this idea? Spend

Partnership

I don’t pause often enough to reflect on, much less comment about, the importance of my marriage to the success of my business or, more importantly, the success of my life. While “success” is a subjective term, Theresa and I have done and will continue to do the work that helps us to live up

Workshop

The bees set up shop under a piece of plywood on the side of our home. At first I thought it was just a swarm that would move through quickly enough. As they lingered, I got curious and found them hard at work. I don’t love the idea of a beehive so close to the

One Beam of Light

I think it’s extraordinary that even the smallest light can illuminate the darkest space. Consider that for a moment: no matter how dark it is, if you have one ray, one beam of light, you can see. And once you can see, you can act. And once you can act you are steps away from

A Midweek Thought Experiment

Imagine that it’s five years ago. If you could meet yourself on October 10, 2013 what advice would you give yourself for the coming five years? Five years ago, my advice would have been (1) trust yourself, (2) open yourself, (3) express more, more often. Imagine it’s five years from now. What advice can you

Would that make you a better leader?

If you knew the core values of your team members, would that make you a better leader? If you understood the personality dynamics of your team members, would that make you a better leader? If you knew the defining strengths of your team members, would that make you a better leader? If you knew the

The Constant Gardener

A few years ago, during a renovation of our backyard, we established a garden area that contains four raised-bed planter boxes. Those beds, with our care and feeding, have yielded beautiful lettuces, bucketfuls of cherry tomatoes and a variety of peppers, carrots and peas. It’s a garden that, once started, tends to take on a

Change at the Margin

At the edges, not at the center. That’s where real change begins. We work from the outside in, a series of small but potent actions in service of our highest aspirations: small gatherings of like-minded colleagues marked by a commitment to knowing the people for who they are, not just by what they do, brief

How to Test Your Culture

If your company has a mission, vision and/or values and you are curious to find out if your employees are living them each day, there’s a simple way to find out. And for the purpose of this post let’s say that one of your company’s values is integrity. To find out if integrity is practiced in

Your Leadership Profile

You’re a leader, but what kind are you? What are the elements that make you, you? To help my clients answer these questions with both clarity and authenticity, I guide them through a process of discernment in the following areas: – Values clarification…knowing what you stand for means you have a roadmap for the key