“Follow effective actions with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” -Peter Drucker
I started posting articles for leaders every month in 2017. This month I want to share with you the most popular blogs (as per views and shares) knowing that popular in this case means useful and applicable to the work leaders do every day. My hope is that you will find moments for quiet reflection prior to the New Year and that these blogs will help facilitate clarity of mindset as well as a tool kit for you to ring in the New Year with readiness.
1. This article shares research from Yale, Huffington Post, and Emotional Intelligence work to explore the importance of gratitude in the workplace. “When leaders have the courage to step into the practice of gratitude, they will be on the receiving end of infinite gifts. Gratitude is not an expression, it is a feeling that enables humans to remember, even in the face of uncertainty and suffering, that goodness exists and from that place, to give thanks.” Click below to read on …
2. With a focus on Keith Ferrazzi’s work in his book called Leading Without Authority, this article takes a deeper dive into the concept of co-elevation. “While collaboration literally means to work together with someone else for a special purpose, Co-elevation takes that one step further with the concept of going higher together. Not only will we work together but we will grow the pie for everyone in the process.” Click below to read on …
3. There is a reflection exercise embedded in this article that must have served you well as it has the most shares of any other blog in the past seven years. “When was the last time you set aside space to reflect and celebrate your personal contributions to your organization?” This exercise is evergreen and can be repeated or gifted whenever reflection is needed. Click below to read more …
A Tool for Leaders To Curate The Past Before Planning The Future
4. Perhaps this acronym for S.T.O.P will help you begin your New Year with a clear practice around mindfulness targeted at leaders. “It is a practice. One definition of stop is, ‘to cause an action, process or event to come to an end.’ It is a decision and sometimes a very difficult one. Stopping is something self-aware leaders do multiple times a day. The more you practice, the better you get at it, and the less time it takes to ground oneself.” Click below to learn how this acronym may serve you …
5. As the New Year ramps up and staffing and budgeting are priorities, the concept of Stay Interviews may be useful for your leadership team. “Exit interviews give us data whereas stay interviews give us creative solutions to serve those we already employ. The best part is the interview can be conducted in 15-20 minutes per month. It is time we start the retention process when employees are still open to staying rather than after they have said they are leaving.” Click below to see some potential questions to get you started conducting stay interviews. It can be a great way to connect with people and start the year off on the right foot!
6. This article focuses on research from the book by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom titled The Starfish and the Spider. I explore concepts of decentralized leadership and how siloes inhibit the flow of information. “As leaders, spending time asking yourself where you fall in relation to sharing knowledge and therefore distributing power, is time well spent. As Carl Sandburg so simply yet profoundly penned, “Everybody is smarter than anybody.” Click below to read more about re-thinking traditional team and organizational structures as you plan for the coming year …
7. This was one of my earlier blogs that keeps getting traffic years later. Accessibility is complex and if we are not careful it can be a buzzword with initiatives that don’t truly serve those that need them most. There is exciting work happening in accessibility as it relates to many different employees and capabilities and it is an important topic for all leaders. “Upon further research and reflection, I realize accessibility is a value. It is not an initiative or a strategy. It is at the core of what makes strong businesses even stronger, from top to bottom. If as a leader, you value accessibility both inside and outside of your work environment, then you are capable of attracting the best of what anyone brings to the table.” Click below to read on …
What is Accessibility in Leadership? The Answer May Surprise You!
8. William Bridges’ framework is timeless as it relates to transitions which is perhaps why it is so useful for leaders regardless of the type of changes you face. As I look at the stages now, isn’t every new year a stage of renewal if we allow it to be? “Leaders who have self-awareness and can assess where they are on the curve in relation to a certain event, and then give others the time to do the same, are on the path to renewal. Leaders who understand that knowing where they are can change from moment to moment depending on new information and new, simultaneous change events, are going to be able to thrive in the face of uncertainty versus simply survive.” Click below to refresh your understanding of this invaluable framework …
9. Do you have a strong feedback culture in the environments you lead in every day? “Feedback is an active, ongoing process, not an event. It takes time and can be difficult to face especially during critical events. Feedback, as a fluid and integral part of the air we breathe, will make us stronger in our personal orientation and contribute to the strength of the culture in the organizations we lead.” Click below for a quick assessment of how strong the feedback culture is in your organization …
10. “The Cynefin Framework can be instrumental in helping leaders during this time of uncertainty. It is a sense-making model, not a categorization model. A categorization four-box model is a framework that proceeds its data. A sense-making model is so much more powerful during times of great change and cultural shifts because the data proceeds the model, and the framework emerges from the social interaction and data to help us make sense of it.” This model can enhance executive presence powerfully. Click below for resources for leading through each domain …
Revisiting A Decision-Making Model that Works: The Cynefin Framework
11. More than any other article I have written, this one is the one discussed most in my conversations with leaders. This work by Learning in Action demystifies emotions and helps leaders identify the information in dominant emotions and therefore uncover the gifts present as well. “Feelings are the ultimate driver of everything we do. Feelings are the part of our experience that defines the meaning of any given event and how important it is to us. Our interpretation of any event is first orchestrated by feelings, which is followed by our analysis and understanding of an event and movement toward action.” Click below for a toolkit and explanation of this body of work around Emotional Intelligence …
12. Perhaps this article gained popularity because many were not feeling the levels of freedom they were hoping for over the past few years. “When we align with our own vision and values, we magically find communities, at work and beyond, capable of enhancing our alignment which creates momentum and excited anticipation.” I decided to end with this one because the questions in this blog can be transformational in creating a mindset of freedom moving into the new year. Click below to learn more …
Expressing gratitude, elevating others, decentralizing intelligence, practicing mindfulness in all interactions, identifying the gifts in emotions, and finding what enhances freedom can only serve us as we welcome the New Year.
As I walked past a bookstore this past weekend, I saw a quote in the window by Anthony Liccione, “Even a rock moves on.” Sometimes there is apprehension about moving into the New Year, because, well, it’s NEW. The past year, with all that it brought, is now known and comfortable in its familiarity, for better or for worse. It is time to embrace this season as one of endings and new beginnings. My hope is that the tools in these articles will provide frameworks to support your ability to embrace all that is coming with excited anticipation and moments of quiet reflection, “Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone.” -Bob Dylan
Leanne Gallagher says
I’ve had this article sitting open for a month I think….as I was so determined to curate as much as possible from this wisdom. The compilation is outstanding. Thank you!!!!
guidingleaders says
Dear Leanne, your comment is a gift and a reason why I do this writing. Thank you for taking the time to let me know it resonated with you. I wish you all good things in the New Year!