leadership
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Re-podcast: Finding the Good in Disagreement
Every once in a while, the WP Briefing episode about disagreements and decisions gets a big bump in listens. Right now it’s in the middle of one of those surges. I often go back to old reference materials because I need to remind myself the best ways of moving forward in a difficult moment. So,… Continue reading
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I stopped sharing things with my teams and it’s the best decision I ever made
At this point I assume we all have seen the episode of Silicon Valley where Gavin says “the bear is sticky with honey”. While I found that entire plot line (?) incredibly funny, it also made me think about the way that we as leaders sometimes offer information to the people we lead. When we… Continue reading
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There’s Risk in the Resolution
Late last year I attended a wonderful leadership session that walked us through closing the book on 2022 and preparing ourselves for the opportunities coming in the new year. There were 30 or so leaders representing a vast array of sectors, and in our opening breakout session we were invited to look at a number… Continue reading
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The Four Os of Meeting Preparedness*
When we’re working across cultures, sometimes the role of an impartial guide through some facts and feelings is the thing we need most. Continue reading
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Is documentation really a DEI* initiative?
Have you ever stopped to ask why documentation gets created? Those little bits of paper that arrive with your latest online purchase or crammed into that IKEA box, those make sense. They are there to tell you how to use the thing in the box. Their primary function is explanatory, but you could argue that… Continue reading
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Dungeons and Dragons for Team Trainings
If you’re not familiar with Dungeons and Dragons (or table top games in general), the best way to describe it is “collaborative story crafting where a group of characters try to solve problems, save folks in trouble, and survive quests that they uncover along the way”. A colleague of mine, Andrea Middleton, once used a… Continue reading
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To my global community: Start Small
When you don’t know where to start, start small, start with what you know, start with people. Continue reading
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Finding Solid Ground on Day 591 of N*
*where N=unknown I used to think there was nothing more stressful than being in the midst of a stressful thing. When you’re in the middle of something, it’s all raw and electric and the ways out aren’t always a sure bet. In the past nearly 600 days, I’ve learned that there is something more stressful—being… Continue reading
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Books All Leaders Should Read
There are four books that have shaped the way I approach my work. Any time that a volunteer or team member tells me that they are ready to level up their leadership, I recommend some combination of these books. Recommended Reading In case leadership reading isn’t your favorite, here are the quotes that turned my… Continue reading
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Leading at Any Level
The concept of leading at any level comes up frequently and focuses on the idea that leadership isn’t the sole responsibility of those at the top of an organization. This idea happens to fit well with my definition of leadership in general, which is that you are a leader if you have anyone who looks… Continue reading