Ode to the Impossible Task
A dryer full of shredded foam sent me back to an old Russian fairy tale, and to a young girl named Vasalisa sorting mildewed corn by hand in the witch's house. On the value of the impossible task, why I've stopped wanting to get there faster, and how to tell when it's time to find a guide for the forest.
What the Mother Tree Knows
What can a 3,000-year-old redwood teach us about leadership, endurance, and community? Quite a lot, it turns out. Come sit with me inside the Mother Tree.
Curiouser and Curiouser
A New Moon, the eve of 9/11, and the practice of choosing curiosity over resentment, in relationships, in leadership, and in the small daily choices that make up a life.
I Will Follow Him
A lazy spa-day conversation, a hammock, and the short list of people I will actually follow. Not because they have authority over me. Because they have earned something harder to build and far easier to lose.
The Practice of Beginning Again
A long flight, a retreat I didn't have to produce, and a quiet question about what it means to keep learning in midlife. On shoshin, layoffs, AI, and the discipline of meeting our lives, and the people we love, as if for the first time.
Imposter Syndrome
A conference room, a contract, and a familiar voice asking who I think I am. Imposter syndrome does not disappear at the edge of expansion. It meets us there, asking whether we will shrink back or name our worth anyway.
What’s your leadership learning curve?
Self-awareness is the most critical tool a leader can possess. The more clearly we can see ourselves , the better we can lead those we serve. Happing learning and leading!
Finding Your Focus: Organization and Discipline
Thoughts and advice on organizing your work and life, and having the discipline to follow through.
Coaching or criticism?
Addressing disruptive leadership behaviors with unconditional positive regard.