Without a bigger picture, it is difficult to assess the urgency and importance in tasks and issues that arise. Knee-jerk reactions occur when there is no plan or the desire to make something “go away” when we’ve lost sight of the larger picture.

As leaders you want to present as calm and collected. However, when you are experiencing decision fatigue, in an incredibly stressful situation, or overwhelmed, crafting on the spot cool like a cucumber response may be out of reach.

Your inner critic has ideas about you, others, and circumstances that limit your creativity, stifle connection, and sap your energy. Learn more about how understand your inner critic can increase your leadership impact.

Listening is an underutilized leadership and relationship building tool. It builds trust and lets people know their perspectives are valued. Though it can be difficult as listening is not perceived as action and other “doing” activities get greater priority.

When constructing a collaborative environment, the objective is to get all parties to participate and the fastest way to get people to clam up is introducing judgement and criticism. Free flowing ideas are the key to creativity in finding root cause or finding competitive advantage. The subtle words you choose can impact the openness of your audience.

Often it isn’t our expertise or technical savvy that keeps us from crossing the finish line, it is all the other stuff. The voices inside our head, distractions, competing priorities. Sharing seven strategies to choose from when the motivational slump inevitably pokes out its ugly head. Find one that resonates to try on for size today!

You have a lot of things to do. Some of them you want to do, some of them you think you “should” do. Should is a poison word where you feel obligation without the motivation. How do you recognize this resistance that is a governor on your success and feeling of fulfillment?

From going on roller coasters on vacation to the roller coaster of emotions about leaving work behind to unplug and relax.

When designing systems, process, and products, the operating duty cycle is key to ensure the design is robust to hold up to the operational demands and environment. It won’t last as long if it’s at 100% all of the time and neither do we as people. Keeping our operating level around 60-70% allows for personal surge capacity to rise to challenges with fresh minds. What’s your current operating level?

Reflection on how the power of pause and curiosity can support greater understanding and more productive communication. There are four layers to communication which affect how it starts in your mind and how it ends up in the recipients.

A reflection on what keeps us busy in preventing taking on the bigger more important projects. Are smaller tasks weighing you down, being used as procrastination, and allowing the most recent tasks to take priority on others that have been languishing?