The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog
Posted by Robyn McLeod on May 23, 2013
 This weekend I attended a beautiful family wedding. The bride and groom brought into the ceremony traditions from their respective cultures and sentiments that expressed their unique personalities. They truly made their day an expression of their individual pasts and united future. During the ceremony, the two families promised to support this new union and come together as their network of support. At the reception, family members mingled and danced together and enjoyed a happy and memorable time together. The day set the stage for a strong, loving marriage.
When companies, divisions, or teams come together, the success of such mergers often depend on the same things that make a successful marriage – recognizing and acknowledging the past, bringing the two groups together effectively, and painting a strong vision for a future together. These steps can lay the right groundwork for any type of restructuring or merger and set you up for success:
- Recognize and acknowledge the individual pasts – What I love about weddings is the chance to hear stories about the bride and groom and see pictures of them growing up. While I had never met the bride before, through the emotional speeches given by her sister, dad, and friends and conversations with her family and friends, I learned quite a bit about her and really appreciated what she brings to our family. Taking the time to share stories of the individual groups that are coming together helps build awareness and understanding.
- Build trust – By focusing on developing effective relationships, communicating information about the merger in a timely and consistent manner, and creating space for team members to get to know each other, you will build a great environment built on trust.
- Create a compelling vision of the future – Like the vows spoken at a wedding, sharing a common vision for the future, declaring it, and promoting it sets a clear direction for all and moves once-disparate parts toward common goals.
- Celebrate – Take the opportunity to celebrate successes, milestones, and actions that support the working environment and future you are trying to create. Acknowledge behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to working together effectively and building a stronger organization.
A wedding brings two lives together with all of the hope, joy, and excitement for a bright future. By taking the time to focus on the people and practice Thoughtful Leadership™ in leading your organizational restructuring, you can experience the benefits of a happy marriage of sorts. Cheers!
How can you create more harmony and connection during change? What are the secrets to a happy merger? Click here to leave a comment.
For expertise in successfully leading change, contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.
Click here to receive The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog posts via e-mail and receive a copy of “Ending Leadership Frenzy: 5 Steps to Becoming a More Thoughtful and Effective Leader.”
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on May 20, 2013
“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” George Bernard Shaw
I have clients (and colleagues, and friends, and family members…and myself at times) who are so afraid of messing up that they don’t do anything. Who are interested in learning a new skill or stepping up at work or going after their dream, but stop themselves before they move forward because they hate the thought of making a blunder or seeming like they don’t know what they’re doing.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on May 13, 2013
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” Vincent Van Gogh
Often it is the voices within us that stop us from trying and achieving what we really want. Somehow we’ve learned to censor our actions and even our desires. Perhaps it is a safety mechanism that we needed at one time, but that no longer serves us.
Many times my clients share their dreams and goals with me, and then in the same breath, they share why those things that they truly want for themselves are unattainable. With this surety of failure, they rationalize that they shouldn’t even try for their goals, or waste their time on useless endeavors. I have been privileged to witness the opposite. I’ve watched many clients break through their preconceived notions of what they “can’t” or “shouldn’t” do…break through to success. Sometimes it’s just the success of challenging their self-inflicted limitations, and often it’s the success of achieving (or allowing) that which they’ve always wanted.
When Van Gogh was alive, there were many people who said he could not paint. My guess is that there were also internal voices that echoed those sentiments. Imagine our loss if he had listened to those voices – if he had not challenged himself and others and created his masterpieces.
When my clients tell me of something they can’t do, I challenge them to challenge themselves, and I dare them to do it anyway. “Just do it,” I share (to quote Nike). “What’s the worst that can happen if you do it?” I ask. “What’s the worst that can happen if you don’t?” With these questions in mind they often simply laugh at their voices of limitation, and jump in.
What’s the worst thing that can happen if you try to do that thing you don’t think you can do? What’s the worst thing that can happen if you don’t? Click here to share.
Listen for the voices in your head that tell you you can’t do something that you long to do – and then do that thing and see what happens.
For support in challenging yourself to break through, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
Click here to receive The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog posts via e-mail and receive a copy of “Ending Leadership Frenzy: 5 Steps to Becoming a More Thoughtful and Effective Leader.”
Click here to purchase The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be.
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Posted by Robyn McLeod on May 9, 2013
 You work hard and get good results from your team, yet the vibe of the office is not very positive and upbeat. You wish you had the kind of team that your colleague, Stacey, has. Her team seems to genuinely enjoy working together, raves about her style of managing, and is consistently recognized for their stellar work. “She really lucked out with the folks she inherited and hired,” you think to yourself. But in reality, it may not be luck at all. Stacey may understand the importance of likability in leadership.
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on April 4, 2013
 Why is “no” such a difficult thing to say? We’re great at it when we’re two. “No” seems to be our favorite word at that age (at least it was for my kids). But somewhere along the line we forget that ability; we forget the word. Someone asks us to do something that we long to say “no” to, and yet, perhaps out of guilt or fear or shame, or perhaps out of more positive motivations like compassion and caring, we find ourselves saying “yes.” Agreeing to what we knew we didn’t want to do. So many of us forget how to say “no,” or think we can’t, or know we shouldn’t, or know we should…but still don’t.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on March 25, 2013
“Fall down seven times, get up eight times.” Japanese Proverb
I now enjoy skiing. I used to hate it.
I hated it because I fell. And I hated that I fell. I once made my ski instructor fall getting off the lift. He told me he hadn’t fallen off a lift in over ten years. But I took him out. I hated it. I thought I was stupid, inept, uncoordinated, and the third of these might have been true. But I wasn’t stupid, I was learning. I had to learn to let myself learn.
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Posted by Robyn McLeod on February 28, 2013
 We have written about the benefits of not being afraid to fail – taking risks, being bold, and not limiting yourself. And when you do fail, being able to make the most of a failure through learning, growing, and pushing yourself further. In a recent Inc. magazine blog post, Lewis Schiff, author of the soon-to-be-released book, Business Brilliant: Surprising Lessons from The Greatest Self-Made Business Icons, shares what he learned in his research for the book about how to deal with failure and make it a stepping stone to success. Demonstrating true Thoughtful Leadership™ qualities, Schiff’s five actions reinforce the importance of self-reflection, connection, and meaningful action:
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Posted by Lisa Kohn on February 7, 2013
There was a time when “stupid” was the “s-word” for my children. They felt it was offensive, and squealed when we used it. And perhaps they were right. “Stupid” is one of those loaded words – if you’re directing it at a person, or the behavior of a person, it can be dangerous and it can cause harm. But there’s a time for calling things stupid, and even for being stupid.
With all the pressure on all of us to be effective, productive, successful, and serious-minded (at least most of the time), I’m putting a stake in the ground – perhaps a stupid thing to do – for also being stupid. Because there are some very basic, simple, and even stupid things that we can do that will make our mood, and our day, better. It may not make us more productive or effective or successful – at first – it may only make us happier. And that may very well pay-off in the other dimensions as well.
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Posted by Robyn McLeod on January 3, 2013
 In 2012 there were many great blog posts, emails, and videos I had the pleasure of reading and experiencing that inspired me, helped me to see things from different perspectives, and encouraged me to make positive changes in my business and personal life. We have shared several of these through our Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog. To start off the new year, I’d like to share seven other posts that I found helpful, in the hope that you take away a few tips and principles to live and lead by in 2013.
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Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on December 31, 2012
“True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
There is a reason that runners cross the finish line of a major race raising their hands in triumph, and that team members celebrate a earned point in a game (or a project completed – well and on-time – in an organization). There is a reason inventors smile with pride at their new invention and artists revere their new creations. And there is a way to harness this happiness, so that we can fuel ourselves forward to even greater successes.
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Lynn DiBonaventura 
Thank you for this post! A great reminder to get out of my comfort zone and “thoughtfully prepare” as I live on the edges. I didn’t prepare as well as I could’ve yesterday but now I know.
Thanks for your thoughts Yuki. I like “thoughtfully prepare” – and also looking at mistakes as opportunities to learn and do it differently next time. I’m practicing that now!