Leadership

“Employee engagement”. 

That phrase floats through the air in just about every boardroom across the nation.  “We need to increase employee engagement”.   What does employee engagement actually mean? Is it something that can be bought with a pizza party? It seems to be this pot of gold at the end of a rainbow which a few companies have in spades, while the rest of the working world struggles to find it.  Gallup defines employee engagement as: “involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their wor…

The secret sauce of leadership: Connection.

Connection is more than plugging in a lamp and turning on the light. Yes, there’s an electrical current which flows due to the connection of the outlet and the power cord, but what is that magic which moves the current in such a way that it will illuminate the room?

Perhaps I’m a bit bias (ok a lot…), but when I think about what skills and traits we need in our culture to develop and inspire our team members, I look to horses. If you have met me befo…

Transitioning from an employee or peer to a leadership role can be one of the most challenging and transformative experiences in one's career journey. It's a shift that requires not just a change in responsibilities, but a whole new mindset and approach to work and relationships.  I remember when I first transitioned from a peer to a supervisor. It was a difficult change for me and for the team in a few ways.  Many of my colleagues were older than me with more years of experience in the field.  …

"Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow." - Seth Godin

When I first set out to design my leadership training program, it was very academic. As I reviewed the outline, I realized this was NOT what leaders needed from me, nor was it the ‘secret to my success’, so I threw it away and started over.  I had to dig deep and ask myself: What is unique about me that I can offer, and what do leaders need? What did I need when I was starting out? I realized I needed to create …

Are you more of a wallflower or a go-getter? Do you prefer to observe and reflect or act and energize? All of us have a default setting that falls along the scale of directive (alternative terminology: “Masculine”) and receptive or “Feminine” energy.  An important point to note: We ALL have BOTH within us, and there is no right or wrong answer, however; we should all take a moment and reflect: where to I typically fall?  How do I shift along that scale based on the situation? Who am I in a room …

In a herd of horses, personal accountability is everywhere. The survival of the herd can depend on whether or not each member is in a balanced state, aware of their surroundings, and taking responsibility for their actions and emotions. 

Let me break each term down for a moment as I may have lost a few of you in the prior statement. First, personal accountability. What does that mean exactly?! By my definition, someone who is personally accountable holds a self-awareness. There is the capabilit…