The Thoughtful Leaders Blog
Posted by Robyn McLeod on April 22, 2011
This morning I enjoyed my first cup of coffee outdoors in many months. I’m so glad Spring has finally arrived. As I sat soaking up the sun and enjoying the quiet of the morning, a flock of geese flew overhead in V formation. Watching geese fly together is one of those moments of wonder and awe for me that connects me to the bigger world. Looking up at the geese, I remembered a video that was shown at a conference many years ago about the science and art of these flying formations – and what they can teach us about teamwork.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on April 18, 2011
“There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.” Mother Teresa
Whenever we teach feedback skills – to new managers, experienced managers, or even senior leaders – we always reinforce the need for more positive feedback in the world. Not just empty accolades, but real, specific, and actionable positive feedback.
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Posted by Cathy Alfandre on March 23, 2011
I was reminded last week of the following parable:
A traveler is passing by a construction site where he sees three workers. He asks the first: “What are you doing?” The worker says, “I’m cutting this stone.” The traveler asks the next man, “What are you doing?” The second worker says, “I’m earning a paycheck.” The traveler asks the next, “What are you doing?” And the third worker says, “I’m building a magnificent cathedral.”
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on January 25, 2011
As signs of economic improvement appear, leaders like you are asking themselves how they can be sure to retain their best employees – many of whom may be sought after by other employers and may be frustrated or dissatisfied with changes that have taken place in your organization over the last couple of years. Last week our blog post on rebuilding trust, The key word is TRUST, addressed this issue and offered ideas for getting ahead of the potential employee turnover and creating a climate where employees can once again be engaged, productive, and successful.
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Posted by Cathy Alfandre on January 12, 2011
“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi
If you follow sports as I do, then you have no doubt heard about the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team. Just a few weeks ago, they met and exceeded the longest winning streak EVER in college basketball history (men’s or women’s) with 90 straight wins, stretching over 3 seasons, before losing to another team on December 30th.
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Posted by Ben Dattner on November 3, 2010
There is increasing interest in the business world in “onboarding”, the process by which managers and executives are oriented to, and integrated into, an organization. Books like The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins have become bestsellers, and organizations of all sizes are more mindful than ever about the importance of the first three months at a new job.
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Posted by Ben Dattner on October 20, 2010
OK- here is a game that an old friend’s young kids recently shared with me. Say “white” 5 times fast. Now say it 2 times fast. Now 3 times fast. Now that you’ve said “white” 10 times, what do cows drink? Most people answer “milk” even though upon reflection the correct answer is “water”. Kids love these kinds of tricks, including the same structure of game but with “top” instead of “white” and “what do you do at a green traffic light?” instead of “what do cows drink?” because they illustrate habitual thinking and automatic, predictable, but incorrect responses.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on September 27, 2010
“Children laugh an average of three hundred or more times a day; adults laugh an average of five times a day. We have a lot of catching up to do.” Heather King
Why is it that when we grow up, we think we have to be so serious? Work is serious. Life is serious. We are serious.
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on September 3, 2010
I was thinking recently about the stupid movie lines that have stayed with me all these years. Check out three of my favorites:
- “Stay alive no matter what occurs!” a gorgeous Daniel Day-Lewis shouts to his female love interest in The Last of the Mohicans. How ridiculous. Yet, what does it mean to us normal people? It means, keep going, don’t stop, don’t give up, and take care of yourself. All very important leadership concepts.
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on August 6, 2010
Had to share this….
A recent Wall Street Journal article “Leadership Training Gains Urgency Amid Stronger Economy” talks about the urgency many companies are feeling around leadership development and training. Seems that the cutbacks during the last few years are coming back to haunt us, and many organizations are finding they don’t have leaders and managers with requisite skills and knowledge to take on new projects or to step in as others move on.
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View Robyn McLeod's profile
Great reminder! And you are a good example of this… leading by example; such a great and memorable laugh. Thanks.
Thanks Sandra! We try and practice what we preach – and I do firmly believe we need more smiles and laughter in life! I always find the challenge to be looking for a reason to take things more lightly when they seem anything but…a work in progress I guess.
dear cousin . how true this is …….laughter is the true wisdom of old age…for we no
longer
have the luxury of time on our side so why not fill our lives with love and humour.that comes
from finding enjoyment and sharing it with others…thanks for this great reminder.
love, betty