Developing an “In on the Joke” Culture

“In on the joke” teams outperform those that aren’t because they operate with more honesty, innovation, and resilience. Their ability to have high intellectual friction with low relational friction leads to better decision making, faster conflict resolution, fewer mistakes (and faster recovery from errors), and stronger alignment and execution. They’re also more engaged, less burnt out, and deeply committed. 

The Role of a Sherpa in Vertical Development

In this blog post, we’ll explore the concept of a “sherpa” in the context of maturing and increasing leadership capacity. We’ll define what a sherpa is, make a case for the need for one, and provide practical tips on how to show up as a sherpa for others. What is a Sherpa? A sherpa is…

Closing a Chapter

I’ve been in a reflective head space lately. A significant chapter of work is coming to a close at the end of 2019 and it’s made me think about the big leadership lessons that have formed me into the person I am today.

Six lessons stand out from the past few decades…

Ennea What?

Three years ago I began studying an obscure tool called the Enneagram. With a BA in Psychology, I tend to be a little skeptical of personality tests, especially those with little scientific data to back them up. The Enneagram wasn’t designed by some PhD. Its’ reliability hasn’t been indisputably proven statistically significant. In fact, there’s much disagreement on whether an actual “test” is a good way to use the tool. Instead, it’s believed to have ancient roots, passed down through centuries of stories and traditions. Currently, it’s experiencing such an explosive Renaissance of interest; I’m afraid to say it’s practically reached fad status.

Wrestling with the Conflict

The holidays are supposed to be a wonderful time of gathering with loved ones. Unfortunately, they also glaringly highlight all the lovely family dynamics you try to ignore. I recently had a family experience I didn’t handle well. As several of us were sitting in my living room talking, one of my male relatives shared an extremely misogynistic video with another male relative. The volume on his phone was loud enough for the entire room to hear. My young adult daughter and my 17-year-old son were present as well. I “kindly” asked through gritted teeth that the video be turned off. This relative said, “What? I thought it was funny.” At that point, I snapped out “Turn it off now!” About an hour after he left, I started raging about how disrespectful he was. I was in full judgment mode.