The Thoughtful Leaders Blog
Posted by Lisa Kohn on May 10, 2012
 I am feeling it – that feeling of just too much. Too much to do. Too many deadlines. Too many balls in there air. And while I coach clients and offer keynote sessions on managing overwhelm, I’m feeling too caught in my own stuff to know what I know…so here’s a refresher for me (and perhaps for you). And yes, I did pick up The Power of Thoughtful Leadership to help me remember:
Let the little things slide – Right now, at my house, the bed is unmade, the laundry is unfolded, and there are dishes in the sink. Right now, in my office, there’s a pile of magazines that need to be looked through, a pile of papers that need to be filed, and a pile of expenses that need to be entered. Right now, on my to-do list, are many documents to be edited and a full email inbox to go through…and none of that really matters. These are the little things that I normally do to keep my life calmer and more clutter-free, but there simply isn’t time right now and I have to let them slide. And forgive myself for not keeping up with my own standards.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on April 16, 2012
“I don’t get angry, I grow a tumor.” Woody Allen
Anger is underrated. Or over-criticized. Too much anger can certainly be destructive – personally, professionally, mentally, and physically. However, too little anger can also wreak havoc.
A client recently shared with me a situation he was facing at work. He felt judged, unsupported, and criticized by a co-worker…and he was proudly telling me how he took it all in stride, didn’t even feel angry, and simply went on. When I asked him if he was experiencing any lack of patience at home, or tiredness and headaches, he sheepishly said yes to a few of those, and asked me why.
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on December 22, 2011
How can a stomach virus possibly be a good thing? How can it yield inspiration for a thoughtful leadership lesson? Am I being too “Pollyanna-ish” – looking for the good in situations and circumstances that truly only stink?
With nothing much to do yesterday but recuperate from the stomach bug that knocked me out two days ago, I had time to contemplate this…endlessly. Those who know me know that I always, or almost always, look for good in everything and everyone I can. Perhaps, some might say, to a fault. So as I lay in bed yesterday with nothing much to do because I didn’t have the strength yet to be productive, I thought this through.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on November 28, 2011
“Half an hour’s meditation is essential except when you are very busy. Then a full hour is needed.” Francis de Sales
Recently I took a month off from work. I shut off my computer, cleaned up my office, forwarded my phone, let clients know I’d be away for a month, and stopped. My intention was to simply become more of a “human being” rather than a “human doing,” as well as to enjoy being a stay-at-home mom with my son’s last summer before kindergarten.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on August 1, 2011
“Sometimes I go about pitying myself, and all the while I am being carried across the sky by beautiful clouds.” Ojibway Indian saying
Years and years ago a very good friend of mine helped me enormously. I was talking with him, I suppose endlessly, about a situation I was facing. I was complaining, I suppose also endlessly, about how hard it was and how confused, lost, and hurting I was. My friend had listened to me discuss this same subject many times before, and I guess he realized that I wasn’t moving through the issue. I was stuck. So he turned to me calmly and directly, and said, “Get off your pity-pot.”
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on July 7, 2011
I must admit my blog today is very personal…but Thoughtful Leadership is personal and it’s based on bringing our whole self to everything we do and every way we lead. I know my leadership today, my very essence today, is flavored by an extremely private and emotional experience, and if I’m truly living “thoughtfully” then I must acknowledge my situation, my feelings, and my thoughts.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on June 27, 2011
“It takes two to speak the truth – one to speak and another to hear.” Henry David Thoreau
Usually when I think about this quote, I envision myself in front of a classroom, emphasizing the importance of listening and truly hearing in building effective relationships. These are both important; that is an undeniable truth.
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on May 26, 2011
I have a client who is in overwhelm. How do I know? She personally told me that she has thousands and thousands of unread emails…that she will never get to. And everyone around her has confidentially told me that my client simply promises too much, overcommits, and just plain old “works too hard.” In essence, she “overpromises” and “underdelivers” – which is the exact opposite of what we coach our clients to do. We strongly suggest that they “underpromise” and “overdeliver” – thereby giving themselves some breathing space and wowing those around them with on-time (and even early) delivery of stellar results.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on March 28, 2011
“Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but paddling like the dickens underneath.” Michael Caine
When things get frantic, do you get frantic? Can those who work with you and live with you notice your frenetic energy? And do they then get frantic themselves? An essential leadership skill – whether you’re leading an organization, a team, a project, or a family – is to learn to flow with the chaos and show a calm demeanor to the people around you.
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on March 4, 2011
 I was really, really tired. It was mid-day and I could feel the pressure mounting of everything that had to get done and all there was to cross off my to-do list…but I was really, really tired. I swear it felt as if my head was pulsing and my eyes just wanted to drift close.
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View Robyn McLeod's profile
by delegating and building the team,
hey if they don’t want to play, I will find someone else interested in doing a good job
Delegating is a great way to stop overwhelm and build your team. Thanks for sharing Tim!
Well, we all have been overwhelmed with the task we need to do. But I focus on small things that can be solve easily and keep that momentum. You will never notice that you already finish your without even bothering to check on it.
Thanks Melisa. I also find it helpful to make myself notice the things I do accomplish, as that helps me feel less in overwhelm and I’m likely not to notice them if I don’t actively try to.