The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog
Posted by Robyn McLeod on August 30, 2012
 Recently an issue has come up several times in my coaching conversations that got me thinking about the importance of facial expression to effective leadership. Now, you may be thinking, what does your face have to do with leading? But, hear me out.
One client shared how he is not a natural “smiler.” His stoic nature is part cultural and part personality, he explained. Coming from a proud and well-off African heritage, his mannerisms tend to be reserved and almost regal, and his personality is such that, as he describes, he has “no patience for foolishness or incompetence.” So, what people often see, is a straightforward and impassive demeanor when they approach him.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on August 27, 2012
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Winston Churchill
What is it about hell that makes us stop and stay there? We get stuck in bemoaning how awful it is, or how much we’re stuck, or how unfair life is. Wouldn’t it be easier, and most likely quicker, if we just kept going to get out?
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on August 23, 2012
 You all know I believe in failure. We teach the concept to our clients; we share Calvin and Hobbes approach to failure with a huge “Ta Da!!” when we fall on our faces; we coach others to celebrate their failures as a step on their road forward. But still failure can be so hard. And allowing ourselves intentionally to fail can be even harder. But there’s something to learn in allowing ourselves to fail, and in walking through that failure as our best self.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on August 20, 2012
“Look within!…The secret is inside you.” Hu-neng
The other day I was working with a colleague who expressed a desire to be just like me when in front of a room facilitating. I stopped her there and suggested that instead of aiming to emulate my style, she should work to build her own. I knew that not only are there plusses and minuses around what I do, but also, she would be much stronger if she were true to her own style rather than trying to copy someone else’s.
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Posted by Robyn McLeod on August 16, 2012
 A long-running debate focuses on whether leadership is inborn or learned. My personal belief is that it is both. There are people who possess a natural charisma, presence, and connection to others that compels people to follow them and be inspired by them. There are also many, many people who have worked to develop leadership skills through training, self-evaluation, feedback from others, mentoring, and trial and error, to name a few. We can find leaders – natural and cultivated – at all levels throughout organizations.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on August 13, 2012
“I have always intended to live forever; but not until now, to live now.” Galway Kinnell
I can’t say that I’ve intended to live forever, although I must admit that sometimes that sounds like a good idea. However the concept to live now now, is one I want to get my head around.
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on August 9, 2012
 In an Inc.com blog post, Geoffrey James shares The True Secret to Success. which is something we write (and speak) about frequently. Gratitude.
Geoffrey says, “if you want to be successful, you need to feel more gratitude.” Often clients (and friends) share, “well if I had something to be grateful about, I could be.” Or, “as soon as this happens it will all be good.” Often I think these things myself. But Geoffrey defines gratitude as a muscle that needs to be exercised. And offers a nightly exercise to do so.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on August 6, 2012
“See everything; overlook a great deal; correct a little.” Pope John XXIII
We were brought into an organization recently because a manager felt that her team was doing everything “wrong.” She had a long list of their errors – in behavior, in attitude, in outcomes. She very clearly wanted to address all of these with her team, and wanted us to facilitate the process.
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Posted by Robyn McLeod on August 2, 2012
 Recently a friend described her work situation at a nonprofit. Her manager has been in the role for one year and is planning the group’s project schedule for the year ahead. The past year has been a difficult one with a tremendous amount of work for a team of only three. Ten to twelve hour workdays are the norm and her manager regularly sends email throughout the weekend.
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Thanks so much, Lisa. You are a wonderful coach and support in such situations.
Thank you Karin. Your words are kind and greatly appreciated.