It’s Not Your Story to Write
What happens when your vision of what someone else’s life should look like doesn’t match theirs? I’ve seen this result in wonderful, deep, rich dialogues, and I’ve seen it result in alienation. It helps to remember that it is not your story to write. Knowing this doesn’t make it easier when you care about the […]
How to Effectively Engage Your Stakeholders
Recently I received an invitation from a fellow islander to a meeting to discuss the proposed expansion of the local oyster farm. This individual was very concerned about the impact this business would have on the island and had, in fact, asked me to sign a petition against it. I politely declined sharing that I […]
Beginning the Endings
I have wrapped up my time as the Director of the Center for Collaborative Leadership at UMass Boston. I’ve run this center for the past dozen years, the longest single role I’ve held in my career and one of the most fulfilling. While I am very proud of the work I have done and of […]
Analysis Paralysis or Due Diligence?
Where is the line between paralysis by analysis and proper due diligence? How much research and reflection is enough? This is the issue I am struggling with at the moment. So, how did I get here? A few weeks ago, during a meeting with an accountability partner, I began talking about my transition from the […]
Unveiling the Power of Recognizing Your Progress
Sometimes we are so deep in it that we don’t realize how much progress we’ve actually made. Let me give you an example as recounted by a friend. This past weekend she witnessed a master-class dialogue between her husband and daughter. To say that her daughter has had a challenging year would be an understatement. […]
The Lessons of Being Laid Off
The first time I was laid off was 2001. You read that right. I’ve been laid off twice in my career. And, with some distance, I’ve come to appreciate how both of those instances have made me a better human being and a better coach. But, let me not get ahead of myself. In the […]
The Power of One More Hour
I’ve yet to meet someone who says, “I have oodles of discretionary time.” Rather, most of the professionals I work with struggle to get everything on their overflowing “to-do list” done. When we do the work to identify what success means for them, they are sometimes confronted with the reality that there is dissonance between […]
Why Do I Need a Coach?
When folks find out that I am a leadership coach, I’m typically met with the question, “why would I need a coach?” The two primary reasons I see for engaging a coach are to become better at the position you are already in or to prepare you for new/different/bigger things. Let’s explore each of these […]
The Importance of Creating Clarity
I’ve had two conversations recently that highlighted the importance, as a leader, of creating clarity for your organization. While one looked retrospectively over the course of 2022, the other focused prospectively on 2023, and both had implications for the employees of their respective organizations. In the first situation, the person I was speaking with described […]
You Inspired Me to Take My Dream Off Hold
Recently, I presented my first-ever hybrid workshop. I knew three things coming into this session. First, that the participants of this organization were “worn down.” They’d been through a tumultuous time. As a result, they’d “armored up” to protect themselves. So there wasn’t a high degree of trust or psychological safety. This meant that I […]