I’ve been thinking a lot about engagement these days.  In the upcoming elections in the United States we are seeing a dramatic rise in new political candidates running for office and more voter participation than in the last 50 years.  We see more protests and demonstrations of free speech, freedom to assemble, freedom to dissent.  Citizens are engaging in the tools of a democratic system that are guaranteed them by a Constitution forged by the vision and principles of those who came before us. On the flip side there is also a trend towards dis-engagement.  The 24/7 news cycle and ...

Mindfulness--we see the word attached to many commercial and educational products.  It’s all the rage these days!   How long can this last?  Is there a risk that “mindfulness” will end up in a heap of passing fancies alongside lava lamps? Mindfulness practices are anchored in 2,500 years of mostly Asian spiritual traditions.  Practices in mindful awareness and meditation have benefited people in reducing stress, in managing pain and chronic illnesses, in treating depression and anxiety, and in developing overall well-being and productivity.  Research in neuroscience over the last 20 years has shown the benefits of mindfulness practices in a range ...

“How does your culture call out the best in you and your team so that you inspire excellence in each other?” As an organizational consultant and meeting facilitator I notice how groups begin meetings.  What does the beginning look like?  When do the meeting participants know that the meeting has begun?  What signals or clues or rituals indicate:  “It’s time to stop chatting and talk about what care about.” Beginnings set the tone and expectation of what we are going to talk about and how we are going to talk about it. Sometimes meetings begin with an “ice breaker.”  And facilitators ...

It’s an honor to hold the space for leaders to speak their truth in times of disagreement or conflict.  What seems to embolden and inspire courageous conversations is a shared higher purpose and vision for the work of the team.    Successful teams know that  without the courageous conversation their work will stall and stutter and lack authenticity.  They know they must traverse the choppy waters before they can get to the smooth sailing. In the past couple of months I have facilitated courageous conversations with leadership teams.  And this is what I have learned as guidelines for having conversations that ...

Media of all types provides such a tempting diet of junk food for the brain.  There are so many alternatives to keep your brain healthy and your spirit singing.  Here are just a few to weave into your life: Music: a snack of your favorite tunes on your iPod, or pick up that dusty instrument and play for 15 minutes.  Dancing is encouraged! Meditation:  the research is out, meditation is an all around tonic for a healthy, sharp mind and a centered way of living. If you don't yet have a meditation practice, start with five minutes of sitting and ...

Picture this, you are making a presentation and the person you are speaking to says, “Well, that’s all very good, but we don’t have the money to pay for this.”  Or, “You seem really excited about this but it won't work in our organization.” Pow! Can you hear the balloon of your enthusiasm popping?  How do we stay engaged in the face of criticism?  Often criticism takes us off our center.  We might stop breathing; our mouth gets dry; we draw a blank.  Or, if you are like me, the ticker tape of self criticism runs with comments like:  “ ...

What is leadership exactly?  What does it mean to lead? To be a leader?  Who leads? Do you have to have a title to lead?  To have letters that begin with a C next to your name to lead?  In the past few years I have had the opportunity to learn from Harvard Kennedy School Professor, Hugh O’Doherty about what leadership means in our times.  I paraphrase the definition that Dr. O’Doherty offered in a graduate seminar I took with him: “Leadership is the capacity to mobilize others to face the repertoire of problems for which we don’t have enough ...

I had the opportunity to see Mary Oliver speak a few years ago.  This poet is a petite woman in her seventies.  She walked onto the stage of a large concert hall wearing black jeans and a sweater and stood at the podium behind the microphone and began to speak.  Mary Oliver is an introvert.  She spends her days often alone in nature or writing at her desk.  Here she was on the stage of a large concert hall at her “sold out event” to read her life’s work.  She didn’t need to yell into the microphone to get the ...

Over the past few months I have noticed the practice of “mindfulness” showing up unexpectedly in professions that tend to the linear, analytical, and logical.  The Washington State Bar Association, for example, recently published an article entitled, Paying Attention: Integrating Mindfulness into Your Practice. “Increased scientific research gives evidence of the positive effects of mindfulness on the brain, the nervous system, and the body as a whole—demonstrating that the mind and body are not separate,” report authors Sevilla Rhoads and Sherry Williams in the Washington State Bar News. Meanwhile at Emory University in Atlanta, Professors of the Sciences are partnering ...

The importance of downtime cannot be overstated. We see more clearly, we hear more keenly, we’re more inspired, we discover what makes us feel alive.  Recent studies in neuroscience (from Harvard Professors Daniel Gilbert and Randy Buckner) show us that when we appear to be doing nothing, a whole network of our brain lights up.  While we are engaged in tasks and look busy, this same vibrant network goes dark.  That dark network, when awakened, provides us with our deepest learning and reflection as well as powerful imagining of our future. Claiming time to ourselves—time that is often labeled “unproductive”—and ...