Leadership is an adventure. We think of an adventure as an experience that tests us, pushes us beyond our own limitations. It is an adventure because it is challenging; we do not know the outcome. We are drawn to it. We are people who act in the world, trying to do good and trying to […]
Leadership is an Adventure Read More »
I am fairly adept at social networking. I have friends on Facebook, and followers on Twitter. I have boards on Pinterest, and am even on Google+. I have a blog. I even have all those apps on my iPhone and iPad. The social network I do not understand is LinkedIn. I think I get the
LinkedIn or Left Out? Read More »
I have watched professional football for longer than I can remember, for my whole life. I was born and raised by people who took professional football seriously. If our team were playing an East Coast team on a Sunday and the sermon went a little long, people would leave church to be home in time
Contemplative Football Read More »
Leadership adapts to seasonal changes. I am not saying that leadership has no direction. Effective leadership is rooted in a leader’s core values. Effective leaders know who they are and lead from their true selves. They recognize their own core values and vision, and appreciate how they fit with the values and vision of the
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Leaders recognize that it is the picture that is important, not the lines. Leaders learn that being immaculate and staying inside the lines can get them into more trouble than being too flexible. Sometimes leadership is mixing colors to make something new. Sometimes leaders make a mess, then find their way out of it. Sometimes
Leadership is Coloring Outside the Lines Read More »
Leadership is changing reality. Leaders help us see things in new ways. When we perceive situations in new ways, they become new. Leaders help us understand that life can be challenging because we see it that way. We look for problems and obstacles, and experience them as difficult to solve because we perceive them that
Leadership is Changing Reality Read More »
Leadership grows in the everyday. It is easy for some people to get caught up in understanding leadership as a set of lessons to be learned. We tend to believe that we will be effective leaders when we have mastered the essential leadership skills and concepts. Other people see leadership as a quality, or a
Leadership Grows in the Everyday Read More »
Each summer, at the end of August, I spend some time at New Camaldoli Hermitage and Monastery in Big Sur, California. I am there this week, listening to silence. New Camaldoli has become a second home to me. I am a lay person who has been received into the community, known as a lay oblate.
Listening to Silence Read More »
Leadership is healthy. Your true leadership grows out of recognizing and appreciating your true self. Leadership is not about being someone else; leadership is about being who you are. The health of your leadership reflects your own health. There is nothing inherently stressful about leadership. There are very effective leaders who do not suffer from
Leadership is Healthy Read More »
There is power in laughing. Laughter brings people together by reminding us that we share values and have a common perspective. When someone laughs, they can see things in new ways. Laughing reminds us that things may not be as impossible as we think they are. Humor and wit are important tools for a leader.
Leadership is Learning to Laugh Read More »
