Have you had the thought that you are caught in quicksand? The more you struggle, the quicker you get sucked in? [Read more…]
Mindful Leader Insights
I am facilitating several workshops on mindful leadership. A concept I will be using comes from Janice Marturano, Founder and Executive Director for the Institute of Mindful Leadership.
Let’s begin with a look at what it means to be mindful. When you are mindful of this moment, you are present for your life and your experience just as it is . . .
- not as you hoped it would be,
- not as you expected it to be,
- not seeing more or less than what is here,
- not with judgments that can lead you to a conditioned reaction . . .
but for exactly what is here, as it unfolds, meeting each moment with equanimity.“
(~ Finding the Space to Lead – A Practical Guide to Mindful Leadership)
Now, I ask you to take her words to heart and ponder what that really means to you as a leader.
[Read more…]
Pokorny and Hardman in the News: Challenging Unconscious Bias in the Workplace
Kevin Pokorny and Renee Hardman have been friends for years. As Kevin says, “If you’re going to take on a topic like unconscious bias, you better not be afraid to talk about it, which we had over the years — it’s just a part of who we are.”
Early in their careers, Kevin and Renee worked together doing training for the Iowa Department of Personnel. “So there was a great deal of trust between the two of us,” said Pokorny. Hardman and Pokorny felt that unconscious bias was not getting the attention it needed, even though it can create friction in interactions in the workplace. They decided to create a workshop using a three-part approach that begins with helping people recognize that they have unconscious biases. On December 22, 2017, The Business Record, and on December 26 the Lift IOWA Leading Insights on Female Talent published an article about their work with challenging unconscious bias in the workplace. (excerpt below) [Read more…]
Inspiring Quotes for 2018
As I reflect on 2017, here are quotes that inspired me on my journey in life and in my work. May they do the same for you in 2018.
“But life is every grain of sand in the hourglass. And it is running. And once run it is gone forever.”
~ Sr. Joan Chittister, author and international lecturer [Read more…]
Words of Wisdom from 2017 – Kevin Pokorny in the news
Dozens of Greater Des Moines, Iowa leaders shared words of wisdom and lessons learned from 2017. Here is Kevin Pokorny’s excerpt published in The Business Record on December 29, 2017.
Receiving feedback with humility
The lesson of humility in receiving feedback that raised an unconscious bias I have as perceived by others. It’s hard work because I want to challenge and be judgmental of the feedback. To be humble is to be ruthlessly honest with oneself. I will try to do so, which will deepen my understanding of others and myself as a business owner.“
Living in the Life of Acceleration
I started reading Thank You For Being Late – An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations, Thomas Friedman’s new book.
He opens with,
“The three largest forces on the planet – technology, globalization, and climate change – are all accelerating at once,” and this acceleration feels “like driving a car that went from zero to sixty miles per hour in five seconds.”
Freidman says that as a result we no longer know how to be patient, to pause, to be late, or to reflect. We’ve “made waiting technologically obsolete.”
Humility
Humility is not something that leaders are noted for. There is the temptation to always explain away mistakes, diminish the negative impact of a decision on customers or employees, or not accept or seek to understand feedback that is critical of one’s skills or behavior.
What does humility mean? [Read more…]
Autumn Quotes to Ponder
As Autumn approaches in the Midwest, I invite you to take a few minutes and ponder the following quotes about our change in seasons.
Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.
~ AUTHOR UNKNOWN
~ AUTHOR UNKNOWN
Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.
~ STANLEY HOROWITZ
Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead have never watched them dancing on a windy day.
~ SHIRA TAMIR [Read more…]
The Skill of Listening For
There’s a lot of talk today that no one listens anymore. If we all keep talking, how can anyone listen deeply? Maybe that’s the problem.
Whether we are interacting with leaders, co-workers, customers, or those in our personal relationships, connecting with people demands that we listen, but listen for what? [Read more…]
World Café Dialogue
If you are looking for a process that invites dialogue, is highly engaging, and encourages diverse viewpoints, consider using the World Café. [Read more…]
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