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The Thoughtful Leaders™ BlogHow powerful questions can help you
We so often want to know. We want to know the final answer. We want to know the truth. We want to know as much as we can. “Knowledge is power,” we’ve heard over and over, so we revere answers, we search for answers, and we sometimes hide answers from others. Related Posts:4 Responses to “How powerful questions can help you”Leave a Reply5 surprising reasons why you shouldn’t be so nice
Related Posts:3 Responses to “5 surprising reasons why you shouldn’t be so nice”
Leave a ReplyFind the miracle
Life is full of miracles…if you choose to see them. Life itself is a miracle, and it is again a choice whether you allow yourself to see things this way. When we allow ourselves to see miracles in everything, we allow ourselves more joy and freedom. We bring a greater smile to our face and more bounce to our step. Those we share our work and life with seem more special, our work seems more inspiring, our days seem more fulfilling. It’s all based on our perspective…and our choice. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyThe shocking truth about slowing down
Related Posts:Leave a ReplyAre your gifts pure?
How often do we give gifts – whether personal gifts to friends or family members or “gifts” at work that might include offering our time, attention, information, or resources, or sharing a plum project – and expect nothing in return? Perhaps this quotation will stop you in your tracks, like it stopped me. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyHappiness pays
In his TED speech from over a year ago, The happy secret to better work, Shawn Achor shares that we really can be more effective and productive if and when we choose to be happy first. He offers that “it’s not reality that shapes us, but the lens through which our brains view the world that shapes our reality.” That we truly have a choice at how happy we are, and that how happy we choose to be influences how successful we can be in life, learning, and business. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyWhy it’s hard to get along with some people
It is possible to move a lot closer to this utopian workplace if all of your employees are equipped with two things – an awareness of their own styles as well as those of others, and skills for successfully having critical conversations. It is a powerful combination of Thoughtful Leadership™ practices that can rid your organization of time-wasting conflicts and petty turf wars, while it leads to better work relationships. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyMistakes pave the path to success
We lambast ourselves (and others) for mistakes. “What was I thinking?” we lament. “How could I (or you) have been so stupid?” Yet it is often our mistakes that finally get us to where we need and want to go…if we let them. Related Posts:Leave a ReplyThe key to ending a damaging leadership epidemic
Related Posts:2 Responses to “The key to ending a damaging leadership epidemic”
Leave a ReplyJump off the cliff
The very thought of this scares me…and exhilarates me. Somehow the visual clearly comes to mind of running towards a cliff and leaping, without having stopped to build my wings or prepare my flight. It seems crazy, and yet… Related Posts:2 Responses to “Jump off the cliff”
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For years I’ve coached clients to generally be nicer – to “take the high road,” “avoid stepping down to someone else’s level,” and “be your best self.” And I still believe that nice is nice…except when it isn’t. There are times when nice is the wrong approach. And there are reasons why, sometimes, you shouldn’t be so nice:
Dwight McLeod 
I’m always on the lookout for great articles, books, and blog posts that reflect our value of Thoughtful Leadership™. This 
I always knew it felt better to feel better, and I’m happy to say that there is research that shows that it not only feels better, it is better.
Imagine a workplace where everyone gets along, where differing opinions and perspectives are aired and resolved through productive and enlightening conversations, where staff members are skilled at understanding and sensing others’ needs and can adapt their way of communicating in order to reach mutually agreeable decisions. Not very realistic, huh? But can it exist?
We have written often about Leadership Frenzy – that state of constant chaos, information overload, back-to-back meetings, and 24/7 connection that is at the heart of many of the problems and challenges faced by leaders striving for greater effectiveness. While many of us think that the key to greater productivity and effectiveness is time management, we know that the real key is managing your energy instead. This is something we wrote about recently in 
Seekers become better seekers.
Thanks Dwight. That’s so true.
I recently had a similar experience where a friend wanted to figure out why he wasn’t as successful as he wanted to be. For months, I kept asking questions about what success looked like, how will he know when he obtains it, etc. Finally, I gave him a link to a video and told him to watch it. The video consisted of images with voiceovers asking similar questions. He recently sent me an email telling me he figured out he was using the same techniques to get a different response. He needed to re-examine the questions he was asking. I was so proud of him. He got it!
Thanks for your comment Ernest. I love the story. I’ve heard it said that “insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.” It seems like your friend broke out of that cycle with powerful questions.