Leadership

… a technique that allows people to iterate on ideas without using harsh or judgmental language. While used typically in teams and on the ideas of others, plussing works equally well on one’s own ideas – when one’s self critic can be particularly vocal. You may never have previously encountered the word “plussing.” Neither had […]

… a strong desire to know or learn something Previous Tuesday Readings have focused on curiosity,1,2,3 on the very related topic of asking questions,4,5 and the further related topic of psychological safety6 on numerous occasions. Given these six examples along with a larger number of additional Tuesday Readings focused on aspects of this topic I’ve not listed as References, […]

Network Director, Cross-country biker, Elementary School Bus Drive, Elementary School Bus Driver AND Network Director Daniel Schmiedt is the author of today’s Tuesday Reading. He is Interim Executive Director of Network Services and Telecommunications at Clemson University and an Elementary School Bus Driver. Dan is also a 2014 alumnus of the MOR Leaders program. This essay […]

There is nothing particularly special about hearing negative voices in your head. I suspect that most of us have, at one time or another. Some of us may even hear these voices frequently. And, some of these voices may be so strident as to lead one to disbelieve the credibility of any successes that she […]

Some two weeks ago, Senator John McCain died. While some saw him as a maverick, someone with a strong independent streak, he was also determined to do what he believed right, even at a high personal cost. He is an American hero – for his five and a half years as a prisoner in a […]

… and School Will Soon Be Back in Session I’m sure that it is as hard for you, as it is for me, to realize that summer vacations are over, Labor Day is upon us, and children of all ages are going back to school. My middle three grandchildren are either at college or will […]

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.”                   – Brenè Brown   The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines vulnerable as capable of being physically or emotionally wounded, open to attack and damage.   Robert Stolorow,1 psychologist, author, and a founding faculty member at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Study, has […]

… How are you seen? “All the world’s a stage …  And, one man [or woman] in his [or her] time plays many parts.”                                                                 […]

… Own them, learn from them, don’t repeat them mis•take  noun  an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong.   “The only man [or woman] who never makes a mistake is the man [or woman] who never does anything.”                                     – Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States     We all make mistakes, […]

… How Do I Respond?   Recently, I came across a short essay by one of my favorite leadership writers, Paul Axtell.  Axtell is an author of several books, including Meetings Matter: 8 Powerful Strategies for Remarkable Conversations,1 and a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review blogs. The piece that caught my attention is “How to […]