The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog
Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on February 27, 2012
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller
What is there to say to expand on this quote? Not a whole lot. It kind of speaks for itself. And yet, it bears expanding upon because it is worth repeating and remembering – and it can be so easy to forget.
Recently I was sick, really sick. In my desperation to have something simple in the house that I could eat, in light of my inability to make it to the store, I accepted my daughter’s offer to walk to the store and get what we needed. And then I asked her to take her little brother with her, so that I could have some peace in the house and he could get out. Later that day, as she was about to go out to run her own errands, I asked even more of her – to finish up some of my holiday shopping and again take her brother with her.
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Posted by Robyn McLeod on February 23, 2012
 Years ago a very nervous nurse walked into the examination room to administer my son’s vaccines. “Please hold your son in your lap,” she said anxiously. “Wrap your legs around his, hold his wrist, and keep his arm very still.” Jason was always pretty brave about getting shots but, based on what she said to us, both he and I were starting to feel very edgy. “You’re scaring him,” I said. “He will sit on my lap calmly without my holding him down.” Later the nurse explained that she had had several bad experiences with children kicking, screaming, and pulling their arms away, so that is why she handled vaccinations this way. She did not see that she was using her experience as an excuse and that her approach was in fact making each encounter worse.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on February 20, 2012
“Courage faces fear, and thereby masters it.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
One of the greatest gifts that comes from being a coach is the opportunity to stand by my clients as they walk through some of their greatest fears. I’ve been witness to fears that are rational, irrational, historical, hysterical, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, to name a few, and I’ve been blessed to witness my clients as they move through their fears to the other side.
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on February 16, 2012
 I grew up singing this lyric, as nearly everyone from New York or New Jersey did…and yet only very recently has it stuck in my mind as a useful concept for leadership – in life and in business.
There are so many things we face, so many challenges that come our way, and so many times we feel overwhelmed and beaten down. We are surrounded by change, and get stuck in the midst of everything that is happening around us. We can’t see the forest through the trees; can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel; can’t see the way out of the craziness that surrounds and envelops us. Things change, and change, and change again, and we’re expected to flow with it and still excel. And as a leader, we’re also expected to help others through the change and the challenges.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on February 13, 2012
“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” John Quincy Adams
Ever notice that sometimes when you are about to give up – when you’ve tried too hard or too long and the obstacles seem too great, when you just don’t have it in you to keep going – as if by magic, you have a breakthrough. I see this in my own life, when the prospects with whom I have been following up with for years finally bring us in for a project. I witness it in the lives of my clients, when the proposal they’ve put before their boss, which has seemingly disappeared, is brought back as a topic of discussion…and then funded. I notice it in the life of my son, who has literally cried his way through homework because handwriting is so difficult for him, and then one day he found himself easily putting pencil to paper and capturing his thoughts without struggling. In each one of these instances, frustration has been high and we’ve all been at the “breaking point,” but when we’ve been patient, when we’ve persevered, it has been magical.
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Posted by Robyn McLeod on February 9, 2012
 There’s nothing I love more in sports than an exciting Super Bowl game. And, of course, it always helps when my favorite team wins! Getting to the Super Bowl is a crowning achievement for an NFL team and one that brings with it tons of attention, pressure, and expectation. As I watched all of the coverage leading up to the game and listened to interviews of past Super Bowl coaches, quarterbacks, and players, I heard great lessons and themes about what it takes to lead, manage, and participate on a team that is in the spotlight. These are thoughts and principles that can benefit anyone leading, managing, or participating in a team initiative in your organization:
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on February 6, 2012
“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” Ancient Chinese proverb
Truth be told, my perfectionist days are not all over…
There are still many times when I slip and realize that I have been, once again, beating myself up for not getting, doing, or knowing something fast enough, well enough, or good enough. When I’m wondering why I’m not at the pinnacle of the mountain “yet” – why I’m still climbing and moving so slowly you’d think I was walking backwards…
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on February 2, 2012
 I wish I could say that I thought of this leadership approach myself, but I can’t. One of my clients a few years back shared this with me, and I’ve been passing it on ever since.
It is an adage to live and lead by. So often what we tell others about ourselves is exactly what we wouldn’t want others to think. “I don’t know how I’ll get this done,” we offer. “I’m swamped and don’t know what to tackle next,” we share.
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Lisa, your “Critical Success Factors to Managing Change” is so relevant to what’s happening in my company right now. Altho a bit late, it’s going on my bosses desk today. Thanks! – Brian
Glad it is relevant and hope it helps! Thanks for the comment.