Acceptance is Your Leadership Superpower

American-Swiss psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross first wrote about the five stages of grief in the 1960s. They were designed to help people cope with loss by giving them a checklist of human reactions to terrible things. First shock and disbelief (this can’t be happening to me), then anger (I don’t deserve this), then bargaining (if I … Continue reading Acceptance is Your Leadership Superpower

Get the Respect You Deserve

Scott Mautz is a popular speaker, trainer, and LinkedIn Learning instructor. He’s a former senior executive of Procter & Gamble, where he ran several of the company’s largest multi-billion-dollar businesses. He is the author of ”The Mentally Strong Leader: Build the Habits to Productively Regulate Your Emotions, Thoughts, and Behaviors.”  Writing for CNBC online, he says that … Continue reading Get the Respect You Deserve

Lead Like a Bird

Writing for Inc. Magazine online, workforce performance expert Henna Pryor made up a term that is not only poetic, but useful for any leader. She says “birdsong leadership” is a way to make your employees feel safer and become more productive. She writes, “I was listening to the birds on my back porch last week … Continue reading Lead Like a Bird

Leadership Thinking

When you ask someone what makes a good leader, plenty of qualities come to mind. Confidence, authority, gravitas, fairness, and empathy are a few I’ve heard recently. But even more important than how a leader presents themselves is how they think. Writing for The Big Think.com, Donna Wiggs cites psychologist and science journalist Adam Grant, author … Continue reading Leadership Thinking

The Art of Bushido Leadership

If I suggested that you lead like a Samurai warrior, you might be a bit alarmed. Especially if you’ve watched too many corny movies. In a Fast company article by Amanda Yello and Lori Tsugawa Whaley, Whaley says that the Samurai code of conduct was actually designed to create a space for benevolent leadership. She writes, “Benevolent … Continue reading The Art of Bushido Leadership

2024 is the Year of the Dragon

If you were born in 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, you are lucky to be born in the Year of the Dragon. It goes without saying that the Dragon is the most glamorous and powerful sign of the Chinese zodiac. (For contrast, I was born in the Year of the Dog. No glamor … Continue reading 2024 is the Year of the Dragon

The Stories We Tell Ourselves (and Others)

Annette Simmons is the author of Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact. Her book is intended to help you get into “story thinking,” using stories as tools to bring emotion back into the decision-making process. She writes, “We know everything will change tomorrow … Continue reading The Stories We Tell Ourselves (and Others)

Feeling Safe at Work

There are two kinds of safety leaders are responsible for in the workplace. Physical safety is one of them: making sure that employees’ health and wellbeing are important priorities (the pandemic changed what used to be a low priority in most settings to the primary issue in almost every industry.) Workers also want to know … Continue reading Feeling Safe at Work

Soft Language Works for Women

In an article for The New York Times, Adam Grant says the advice women get to eliminate “soft language” is bad advice. He writes, “If you’re a woman, you’ve probably gotten this advice from a mentor, a coach or a teacher. If you want to be heard, use more forceful language. If you want a … Continue reading Soft Language Works for Women

Magic Words to Make you More Persuasive

What if there was one word – a simple word – that would increase your chances of persuading someone to do something by 50 percent? Sounds like magic, but it’s been tested and verified by social scientists for years. That word is “because.” Researchers have investigated persuasion for decades, and they’ve found that adding a … Continue reading Magic Words to Make you More Persuasive