How to survive Mercury (retrograde) poisoning
Mercury has gone retrograde. Oh baby. Hang on to your electronics, your communications and your relationships. I don’t know much about astrology […]
Why you SHOULD sweat the small stuff (Hint: Do the math!)
Have you ever noticed how fast the small, regular stuff of life accumulates? I’m not talking about the big-maybe-you-didn’t-really-need-it-stuff like the toaster […]
Reinventing the story about government: with Doug Nathan
Our culture is full of narratives about government, many of which don’t do justice to the institution. Doug Nathan is on a mission to change that, and a first step is the symposium he is organizing, “Expanding the Narrative,” a conference which will happen May 24th in Seattle.
Learning to love the in-between
A story has a beginning, middle and end. But in the roadmap for our life’s stories, how do you describe the space […]
Finding your essential purpose with Maria Bäck and Jeff Vander Clute
Have you ever had a strong intuition about your business but were unsure how to incorporate that into your business planning? International consultants Maria Båck and Jeff Van Der Clute help their clients sense into the invisible dimensions of their practices - to be able to make better more conscious business decisions.
5 ways to tame your inner critic
I just heard a quote by actor, author, teacher, impresario, Michael Port: “You can be a performer or a critic but you can’t […]
Learning design from a dancer with Ramaa Bharadvaj
There are many ways to learn about leadership, and sometimes we can gain new perspectives by looking to the arts for inspiration […]
Living, for a moment, in the small stories
Last month, I described a path towards finding your big story, the narrative you can use to make your career or business […]
Five questions about your bio your clients are secretly asking
Your bio isn’t your resumé. Its purpose is to help people decide whether they want to connect with you. Let it sing with your […]
Primility: balancing pride and humility with Jerod Morris
Jerod is currently the VP of Marketing for Rainmaker Digital, the digital marketing podcast network developed by Copyblogger Media. In this interview we […]
8 ways to find your vision – and what to do when you’ve found it
A vision is a curious thing – living in the beginning, middle and end of your heroic story. In the beginning of our story, […]
Dialogue with Jeff Rock: using your Origin Story for Career Re-invention
Jeff is a Career Coach, Business Storyteller and Personal Branding Consultant who helps professionals to communicate their value in an authentic and […]
Finding the magic in the middle of your story
Stories have beginning, middles, and ends. Last week, we talked about exploring the beginning of your story, the Origin Story. This week […]
Debra Ruh: Redefining Normal
Debra Ruh is a seasoned entrepreneur who has founded three successful firms that help corporations tap the potential of people with disabilities. It was […]
How your Origin Story reveals the art in your life
How many of us have secretly felt, from time to time, like we were frauds in our professions? In 1978, Dr. Pauline […]
Finding gratitude in every moment (with Brother David Steindl Rast)
Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk and teacher, has been writing and teaching about gratitude for over 30 years. I’ve been a […]
Are you a try-aholic?
Last week, I found a book by Edward Slingerland with my name on it: Trying Not to Try You see I’m Sally […]
Managing from the heart with Arun Wakhlu
As chairman of Pragati Leadership in Pune, India, Arun Wakhlu has been helping leaders in India and around the world connect to […]
Looking behind to step ahead
To start my new year, I took a day of looking back to step ahead. Unlike the vision day I took last […]
Bringing old wisdom to new leadership with Anil Sachdev
Rarely have I met anyone who so integrates a path of self-knowing and meditation with a very successful executive career. Anil Sachdev […]
Create an eco-system to support your goals (or, What I learned driving past slums in Mumbai)
It’s January, when we often launch the year with goals and aspirations. If you’re like me, you took time over the holidays to […]
Finding your calling or what I learned from a warrior prince
Have you ever had moments when you felt stuck in your tracks, unable to decide, caught between alternatives you didn’t like – […]
Finding Hope in the Holidays
I’m just getting back in the saddle after an amazing trip to India. There’s so much I want to share with you […]
Reflections of a master consultant: talking with Geoff Bellman
Geoff Bellman has written six books that have been hugely helpful to the consulting and organizational communities. Now in his mid-seventies, he’s easing out […]
Thanks for the light and the dark
“THANKS” is a poem for this season and for these times. My friend Anne shared it with me recently, introducing me to the work […]
A learning journey to India
It may be easy to believe that your culture is the one right way when you’ve grown up in just one culture, […]
Money can’t buy it (a story)
When Mary sat down at the table for coaching, I could tell that something had changed. With her sandy hair, impish face, […]
Time for tea and reflection
Welcome to November, the time of long nights and cold rain in the Northwest. Our glorious Indian Summer, which I celebrated in […]
Is the word “leadership” dead?
My close B-school buddy, Lori, and I have been having a debate about leadership. She thinks the word has gone flat. I, however, […]
My favorite fall things
Raindrops on dahlias and nuzzling my horses Leaves that go crackle and new on-line courses, Wearing yummy old sweaters and starting to […]
Know How You Feel to Change How You Think
Lots of self help gurus preach that we can change what we believe (and then act) by changing how we think. Powerful stuff, […]
Are you ready to unmask from “appropriate”?
Did anyone ever tell you, as a kid, that you needed to be appropriate? Sure, it’s important in our civil culture to […]
Embracing what we might not choose
Life is full of things most of us don’t ask for – like old age, if we are lucky enough to get […]
Getting ready to fly
Fall brings change. The days shorten. The air cools. The migratory birds will soon take off. It’s a beautiful site to see them […]
In praise of an audience of one
Despite the buzz about content marketing, and writing for your audience, the words of Kurt Vonnegut, as quoted by the brilliant Maria Popova, live on: "write for an audience of one".
Want to practice BEING vulnerable? Try clowning!
The words “be vulnerable” are now becoming mainstream, thanks, in part, to Brené Brown. In her brilliant TEDx talk, she talked about […]
Beware the NPR trap (and thank you Ira Glass!)
On the eve of launching my podcat, I'm thinking about NPR and how big the GAP is between my interviews and what I'm hearing on air. But the words of Ira Glass, from four videos he did in 2009, are the perfect antidote to my fears.
Comparison Kills Creativity or Why You Need to Play
Creativity can be thwarted if not killed by comparison. One powerful antidote is play, for children and for adults. Viola Spolin knew this as did one of my teachers long ago.
How to write about yourself when the future is foggy
Writing about one's self when you're in the midst of re-invention can be daunting. But with every step, the path gets clearer. "We make the road by walking."
Do you choose high seas or a safe harbor?
Action heroes are always taking risks, daring greatly and saving the planet. They'll probably always choose high seas over safe harbors. But for the rest of us, managing the balance of risk and safety is a skill to cultivate.
The Résumé’s not dead – just boring (or why you need more story in your bio!)
Sure, we all need to have a résumé. But a bio can be a lot more interesting to read - especially if you know how to bring it together with the power of story!
WHY we should stop asking “HOW?”
We live in a culture that values efficiency, productivity, and action. All good…if we’re doing the right stuff, the stuff that matters […]
Find Your Best Frame
Last week, I gave a workshop on Strategic Storytelling at a conference of fundraisers. Strategic storytelling is the vivid use of stories […]
How to pick out what is essential
How do we know what's essential? Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism, has some ideas. I'll use his emphasis on principles or priorities as a reference point. But I still need to figure out what’s the most important thing to get done right now.
When change comes in a moment
I’m offering a different piece about change this week, very personal, about how suddenly the world can change – and did - in just one moment.
Be In Your Future Now: A conversation with Robert “Jake” Jacobs
Why wait when you can step into your future now? Feel it. Taste it. Put it on like a wrap. Look through it […]
Embrace Your Creative Edge: Lessons from Ann Randolph
Last week, I attended a writing/performance workshop conducted by the inimitable actress Ann Randolph – known for her award winning solo performances in Loveland and Squeeze Box. Here are some take-aways!
To Unplug or Not to Unplug: Is That the Question?
Last week, I wrote about How the Internet is Warping Our Brain and what to do about it. I told you I’d […]
How the Internet is Warping Our Brains (and what to do about it…)
Our use of computers is shaping our common vocabulary. (Heard on the street, boy to mother: “When are you going to upgrade […]
How a Beloved Institution is Re-storying Itself
A library in the Netherlands has reinvented and restoried itself - with some amazing results.
7 ways to climb out of the pit and get back your mojo
Sometimes when things aren't going exactly right, you can keep yourself going by taking the step that leads you to the next step, and then the next step and the next step.
How to ask a better question: how does space make you feel?
Good questions lead to interesting answers. I’ve been questioning why some spaces make us feel good while others make us feel empty and dull. And in the air, I find a couple of examples.
How NOT to Ask a Question
Questions can be life-changing. They can help you: See the world with new eyes Redefine a problem Find options that […]
How a Mapmaker Imagines the World
What's in a map? Is it a literal representation of reality or a way to see the future? Explore ideas with seasoned map-maker Annie Brulé.
The Perils of Having a Vision
Edward S. Curtis was a visionary. He was also obsessed. He created a monumental legacy at great personal cost. And so it is with visions - engage at your own marvelous risk.
On Facing the Void
Facing a void means standing in the unknown. it can feel potent, full of possibility, or paralyzing. Without answers, a poem can provide comfort.
Finding Fierce Humility
Nobody I knew in business school used to wander around asking "How can I be humble?" But there's a fierce humility that may well be at the heart of leadership.
Mind Your Cues to Change Your Habits
Habits are useful. They help us not to think. Like checklists they help us navigate complexity. But changing a habit we don't want can be hard -- and understanding cues can help.
Why Some Conflicts Will NEVER Go Away
Who likes conflict? I don't! But sometimes within our conflicts, we can spot the forces that are in tension - that will never go away - and learn to live with them!
A simple tool for managing complexity
I'm not a to-do list obsessive kind of gal. So you wouldn’t think I’d get excited by a book called The Checklist Manifesto. I’ve become a believer in his main premise: In a complex world, the simple checklist can be an extraordinary help (and will save lives.)
Finding the bigger story
Are you feeling tired of hearing all the government-bashing by the punditry? Isn't it time to create some bigger more empowering stories about the institutions and causes we care about?
The secret reason you need to dance (or get moving!) Hint: it’s not fitness…
I’m a dancer. Who stopped dancing. But now I’ve a new reason to move – and it’s not about fitness. Do you […]
How to change your pose to change your life
Can body language, and specifically your posture influence how you think, how you feel, and how you are perceived in the world? Dr. Amy Cuddy thinks so - and presents her findings in her popular TED talk. I do too, except that those power poses all look like alpha males! I think so, and that’s why I wanted to hear Dr. Amy Cuddy’s TED talk “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are.” It’s one of most viewed TED talks ever. I could see why: Cuddy’s poised, personal, and packs a powerful take-away: the idea that you can become more self assured and be perceived as powerful by simply shifting your stance for a couple of minutes.
How to give advice people want to hear
Ever wish that you could give people a piece of your mind and have them wanting more? Or, give feedback that someone really used because it was both tough and compassionate? The best model I’ve found recently for balancing straight talk with caring isn’t in a leadership book. It’s in an on-line advice column “Dear Sugar” by Cheryl Strayed, compiled in her book, Tiny Beautiful Things.
Celebrating you
In this season of gifts and celebrations, wise men and pilgrimages, the dark of night, and the light of new beginnings, I […]
When Nurses Speak
Last week, with a partner, I guided 6 nurses to be able to share their stories on stage. The group represented 180 years of nursing experience. Add six stories and you had one big miracle. As a participant with more than thirty years experience wrote after the experience: “The transformation was the highlight of my nursing career.” It doesn't get better than that!
Doodling about leadership with Lynda Barry
Lynda Barry doesn’t write or draw about leadership. She’s an award-winning cartoonist, known for her comic strip “Ernie Pook’s Comeek.” Yet in her recent graphic book Syllabus, she shows us how she led her students on a path of discovery - into the world of creativity and seeing - qualities all leaders need.
How I found gratitude in the back of my closet
This weekend I cleaned my closet. Not an earthshaking event, but a task I’d avoided. Yet this weekend, as I sorted scarf after scarf, bag after bag, I realized that I didn't even know what I had. And I discovered that paying attention to my belongings, and appreciating them, were doorways to abundance.
50 Shades of Introversion
This week I have a new coaching client and I’m so excited: he’s smart, he’s competent, he listens well and….he’s an introvert. […]
Try the Appreciation Diet Before Thanksgiving
Appreciations are the low-hanging fruit of communications that build better relationships. Yet most of us could offer so many offer. Why not go on an appreciation diet to build your gratitude muscle for Thanksgiving?
When Nurses + Stories = Tranformation
Nurses are taught to listen. But in a profession so key to our health care system, they need to speak out as well - and tell their stories. That's what Nurses Speak is all about.
Find the courage in your unique legend
When life feels particularly challenging, you might be experiencing the middle, turbulent phase of an extraordinary, legendary journey. Your legend is waiting for you to claim it, and to create it as you live it.
When it’s time to go small
Even a good loss, like the departure of a friend, can bring deep feelings. How do we create rituals and give ourselves the opportunity to grieve yet still keep going - by doing something focused and small.
Let Hollywood add some sizzle to your stories
Do you hear "Lights! Camera! Action!” at your business presentations? Maybe not. But do you think about “Conflict! Emotion! Transformation?” According to screenwriter and story consultant Michael Hauge, those elements can make your business stories start to rock. Join us as we review Michael's ten components of story success.
How to create your legend (when your name isn’t Hilton)
The word legend is often associated with celebrities, notorious fame-seekers and dead heroes. But there's a new legend: someone who follows an authentic path, courageously following the call s/he knows to be true. You, too, can be such a legend...if you claim it.
Is technology making you feel dumb?
I wanted to take a four-minute clip from a video interview. It should have been easy. But somehow nothing that involves new software or new technology ends up being that easy. There's always some question I can't answer - which is why I often feel frustrated - or dumb. And with all the software and productivity tools I'm using, I have those feelings a lot these days!
Mining the mind of a millennial
Do millennials think differently than baby boomers? I decided to ask a recent college grad, who is living with us for a few days. A desire for the freedom to move about, wanting to be fulfilled at work, and the right to be "just a little bit weird" are just a few of the insights she shared with me.
Should we lose or use our anger?
How do you live with ANGER? Would you rather avoid it? Move beyond it? Or use it as a fuel for action? Of all the emotions, anger is the one that I like least. So I was interested in some thoughts from Deepak Chopra about letting go of anger...at the same time I was left wondering, "Aren't there ways to use our anger, too?
Have You Done Enough Today?
As we approach Labor Day, have you ever wondered if you're doing enough? Or, do you, like me, find it hard to stop? Wayne Muller, author of "A Life of Being, Having and Doing Enough" has some insights that were spot on for me.
How to pick the perfect email closing
I'm taking a break from teaching about conflict to explore this life defining if tongue-in-cheek topic: email closing salutations!
What Robin Williams teaches us about leadership
We can find our inspiration for leadership in many places. Last week - for me - it came from Robin Williams, whose untimely death I deeply grieve. He was a wild man who taught us the beauty and power of letting loose some creative wildness. He made me believe that there was room in this world for aliens, people who thought outside the box, people who moved with creativity and compassion and weren’t afraid to let their imaginations rip. Don't you want to let out a little more of your wild side? And don't you think our organizations would be better off for it?
How to take some emotional heat without getting scorched
Conflict and deep emotion often go together. Recently, I've been learning how hard it is to stand in the fire and take the heat, when a disagreement turns strongly emotional. Here are a few insights I pulled from the embers after the first flames of a recent conflict died back.
A Secret Tool to Help You with Difficult Conversations
If you’re like most folks I’ve worked with, handling conflict, especially when it involves messy emotional conversations, is not your cup of tea. Conflict comes with the role of a leader – and it’s important to be able to have those difficult conversations. I bet you handle conversations well when differences are clear-cut, objective and technical. But do you run for cover when things become confrontational and feelings start flying? Well here's help - new skills - that come from improvisational theatre.
12 Ways to Find or Build a Tribe
Recently, as part of launching my website, I've had great fun re-connecting with members of my tribe of colleagues who I haven't seen for a while. We still share so much. I've also been relishing making connections to new tribe members! My tribe means A LOT to me - and I'm always looking at how to continue to build it. Here are a few ideas...
Use Your Story to Find Your Tribe
My delightful colleague and operations guru Lauren Lizardo took a big risk last year and told a candid story about being...bald. Out of the story and her willingness to stop hiding came new connections, new work, and a new tribe. And that's how I met her! Her story should be inspiration to any of us who, as professionals wonder...what if I shared my real story?
Why I Need a Tribe and Why You Might Want One Too
Having a group of colleagues (aka tribe) with whom to share dreams, ideas and interests can be a big boost to our professional lives. And for the solo-preneur, independent consultant, or innovator forging a new direction within a company, it’s essential.
How to Get Back in the Saddle When You’ve Been Thrown Off
Have you ever found yourself in the sand after being bucked out of the saddle by a particularly hard life lesson? We can’t avoid the hard bumps that come with any heroic journey. But we still need to dust ourselves off and get back on.
Managing Creative Chaos
We all create in different ways and for some, like me, the creative process is accompanied by a certain amount of chaos. How can we avoid being overwhelmed when our creative juices are running?
After the Tragedy: A circle of support
In the wake of tragedy, we can tap the tremendous potential for healing and support that occurs when we stand by each other in the circle.
Unleash the Creativity Within Conflict!
We may want to avoid certain conflicts, but learning to manage conflict is necessary for creativity. Besides, it makes a better story.
How IGNITE Seattle! Ignites…
I had the opportunity to speak at IGNITE Seattle! this week. Watching the organizers having fun and working as a team, I took away a few leadership lessons of my own.
How to Stop But-ting
When we say "yes, but" in our controversial conversations we can escalate conflict and decrease listening. Last week, I taught about a way to reach a better outcome. Just don't say what I did!
Take a vision day
As a self-employed professional, I need time away from the day-to-day demands of work to reflect, refuel my creative inspiration, and think about the future. That's why, as the new year begins, I'm taking a Vision Day. Learn how you can create your own retreat - to access a Muse who may surprise you.
Spark Your Thinking by Going Visual
Visual Goal Setting is a way of tapping your intuition and giving additional power to your goal setting and planning efforts. I spent a great evening with Patty Dobrowolski, author of Drawing Solutions, learning how to make use of this creative tool.
The Eyes Have It – Use Them to Connect!
A foggy beach walk on Thanksgiving became an opportunity to practice one secret of great presenters: the ability to make eye contact. And I practiced smiling, too!
Is it Time to Get Your Hands Dirty?
Planning and improvisation often go together. And you can't start a business unless you are willing to plan....and then improvise, or as we say in the garden "go get your hands dirty".
Does Your Contact List Need a Spring Cleaning?
Do you ever wonder - who is your data base, really??? Or feel the urge, as you begin a new project, to let go of what you are dragging around from the past. I did....and it started with my contacts!
