Meeting Mindset
When I was young and encouraged to invest my saved allowance in stocks, I asked my dad what to buy. He advised: "Start by looking at companies that make or do things you like. Invest in companies you trust." I applied this approach as an executive director, including to meetings. I've always disliked meetings, finding many to be time-wasters that interrupt productivity and efficiency, too often serving as platforms for self-promotion and not much else. Consequently, I minimized standing meetings (three to five monthly) and only ever called meetings with clear, measurable purposes. Wise back then, it is still wise now; the 2023 Microsoft Workplace Trend report identified excessive and inefficient meetings as two of the five biggest obstacles to organizational productivity.
Unleash your potential and experience a transformation that exceeds all expectations.
Are you stuck in the weeds as a leader? It's time for a change. Successful leadership requires a bird's eye view, or what we call strategic thinking at the 5000 ft. level. Avoiding the trap of micromanagement and misplaced focus can revolutionize your work environment.
This summer, we're addressing this issue head-on in our Think Good Summer Series: “ “What to Do When”, providing tangible tools to nurture your big-picture thinking.
Here's a nugget of wisdom to consider - true leadership isn't all about being engaged in the nitty-gritty details, or as I like to call it...'doing the do'. Exceptional leaders grasp the essence of taking a bird's-eye view at the 5000 ft. level as opposed to merely the 500 ft. perspective. This macro-perspective, known as strategic thinking, prevents leaders from succumbing to the quicksand of micromanagement and misplaced focus.
The 5000 ft. View of Leadership
Are you stuck in the weeds as a leader? It's time for a change. Successful leadership requires a bird's eye view, or what we call strategic thinking at the 5000 ft. level. Avoiding the trap of micromanagement and misplaced focus can revolutionize your work environment.
This summer, we're addressing this issue head-on in our Think Good Summer Series: “ “What to Do When”, providing tangible tools to nurture your big-picture thinking.
Here's a nugget of wisdom to consider - true leadership isn't all about being engaged in the nitty-gritty details, or as I like to call it...'doing the do'. Exceptional leaders grasp the essence of taking a bird's-eye view at the 5000 ft. level as opposed to merely the 500 ft. perspective. This macro-perspective, known as strategic thinking, prevents leaders from succumbing to the quicksand of micromanagement and misplaced focus.
What got you here won’t get you there
At Think Good Coaching and Consulting, we believe that the old adage…”what got you here won’t get you there” is key to building learning organizations that don’t just want to survive but are committed to thriving.
Another layer of complexity arises from differing attitudes towards work-life balance and sustainability.
Some individuals thrive on the adrenaline of long hours and intense bursts of activity, seemingly able to maintain that pace indefinitely.
Cultivating Civility
Three words keep coming into my conversations to a degree never before experienced. It happens regardless of whether I’m talking with executive directors or board members. The three words are: civility, tolerance and grace. Sadly, people aren’t using them to praise the board’s performance, but the total opposite. More and more, I’m being asked how to stop the incivility, intolerance and lack of grace that’s taken over the boardroom and beyond.
Reflections on Sedona
Let me start by saying that this is a challenging blog to write. Not because I am suffering from Writer's Block but rather that sharing such an intimate adventure with seven other women is daunting.
And here's why…each of us had our transformational moments that we are still noodling on after the experience has ended. I'm still processing it all.
The Super-Truster Vs. the Prove It Truster
Trust is one of the most admired characteristics of exemplary leaders. Ironically, it is not something we really talk about with our colleagues. Our own filters on the characteristic of trust lead us to make numerous assumptions about it.
Basically, when it comes to trust, people fall into two camps. Some folks are super trusting and give their trust away like candy. They just assume everyone is good until proven otherwise. On the other hand, there are those who are a bit more cautious and need to see some evidence of trustworthiness before they give their trust.
Cultivating a Space of Stillness
In the most recent issue, the topic was creativity. Pooya Pourak, the CEO, said that his “greatest source of creativity flows from cultivating a space of stillness.” There are the words that for some reason have eluded me for a while: a space of stillness. It perfectly says the place executive directors (all leaders) need to visit on a regular basis.
Sadness and frustration envelops me as I listen to the laments of executive director after executive director talking of being overwhelmed and stretched too thin to the point of breaking, of putting out fires one after another..
Embracing the Transformative Power of Community and Connection
In the span of the last five years, our personal growth has been nothing short of profound. Our recent call, after a two-year hiatus, was an intensely emotional experience. As we shared our individual journeys, tears welled up within me. In that moment, I felt an instant reconnection with this extraordinary group. Our bond, forged on trust, respect, and love, has created a sanctuary where authentic conversations thrive.
From Exhausted to Empowered: Applying the 85% Rule to Your Daily Routine
Do not work at 100% output, but rather at 85% and save the remaining 15% for creativity, relaxation, self-investment, etc. If you work at 100% all of the time, the thinking goes, you will eventually burn out and achieve less-than optimal results. Working at 85%, however, and really using that 15% for other “work”, as noted previously, results in optimum output. Doubters? Think Carl Lewis, nine-time gold medal Olympian who abided by the 85% rule.
"Beyond Resolutions: Shifting Perspectives and Creating Possibilities in 2024"
This can be a deceptively positive approach and doesn’t put you in the position of having to say that horrible—and deadening whine: “But we have always done it this way (and we prefer it like it has always been).”
But what if you moved away from focusing on problems and thought differently? Borrowing from two different ideas—deficit- versus asset-based language and the idea of possibility-creating (The Four Pivots)—it can happen.
Money as a Means, Not an End: Redefining Success in Nonprofit Organizations
Don’t get me wrong: money is important; after all, we are a business, and like every business, we need money in order to do our work. But money isn’t our business, but a means to our business as a mission-driven business. As such, we should be judged by how well we meet—or not--the promises of that mission, and secondarily, on how well we use the money to maximize that impact.
What Does it Mean to Confabulate?
I am obsessed with the word confabulate. In fact, I love it so much that I’ve actually replaced it with the term network. Confabulating is focused on being in conversation with someone else. Networking is really about sharing information with someone else. For me, confabulating is such a cozier and community based term.
Navigating the Changing Fundraising Landscape: What You Need to Know
Maybe you are as tired of hearing about this as I am. Despite that, it is still important to keep ringing this bell: the fundraising landscape is changing. So, what are you going to do about it?
It’s Complicated...Lessons Learned Through Grief
My relationship with grief has continuously evolved. I remain curious, embracing the experience of loss, and diligently working through the profound impact it has had on my life. Grief has become an active companion, guiding me in redefining my own identity. It is not a mere transaction, nor does it adhere to the hurried pace of a game show buzzer.
Always Be Learning
Moreover, let this season of transition serve as a personal invitation for you to embark on your own journey of learning. As the crossing guards return to our streets, take this opportunity to recommit to learning something new. Open the pages of a captivating book, grab a sharpened pencil, and let your thoughts flow onto paper.
Choice Mapping: A Powerful Tool for Better Decision Making
Have you ever heard of or used a choice map in your decision making? Originally designed to help individuals make better choices, I recently came across the suggestion of using choice mapping in an organization in lieu of traditional brainstorming.
Become the High Impact Leader You Are Meant to Be
The 3 components of living your life as the CFO of your own company are Clarity, Focus, and Outcomes. Becoming the CFO of YOU means letting go of the OBU’s…Overwhelm, Busy and Unspired.
Unfortunately, so many leaders work and live in the OBU. They are Overwhelmed with Business and are simply Uninspired. I love working with my clients in getting rid of the OBU life so that they can become the CFO of their own life.
The Remarkable Power of Mid-Life Friendships
I’ve always been in awe of women who talk about lifelong friendships. I’m talking about friendships that started as babies and have endured through all of the seasons of life. I am not one of those women. Not because I chose this but because honestly, I’ve self-sabotaged some of these friendships. I’ve allowed people who were once important in my life to slip away. My autopilot response to stress and overwhelm in my life is to hibernate and keep to myself.
Sharing. Vulnerability. Connection. Support.
As you know by now, I am a huge Brenee Brown fan. One of my favorite pieces of wisdom from the goddess of all things is the way in which she shares the myths of vulnerability. It’s the human condition to treasure and be inspired by other women who are vulnerable AND yet, we tell ourselves privately that we don’t do vulnerability.