We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

December 8th, 2011

“Every generation has the obligation to free men’s minds for a look at new worlds…to look from a higher plateau than the last generation.”

~Ellison Onizuka, Astronaut-Challenger

How does one navigate the treacherous crossing from the Information Age to the Inspiration Age?  How can you know for sure if your leadership is “sea-worthy” enough to withstand the tremendous sea change now transforming business in ways we can only begin to imagine.  With exponentially faster technology and a generation concerned with a moral imperative for higher consciousness in business, the inevitable transformation is already influencing leadership and accountability.  We are all striving to see past the horizon and peer into the future to anticpate vast complexities before they arise.  One thing is certain, the very fabric of time is changing.  Leaders must understand the scope of changes and adapt to meet them. Read more »

Profit, Inspiration, and the Future

November 23rd, 2011

Traditionally, CEOs focus primarily on growth and profit, and understandably so. This book offers an inside look at uniquely inspired leaders who live by their values to achieve growth and profit in their own unique way. As Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Less Traveled,” so beautifully depicts, we live in a life of difficult choices. In all of our decisions, in life and business, there is always a consequence of choosing which fork in the road to take:

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Read more »

Turtle on a Post – An Interview with Dr. Betty Siegel

November 15th, 2011

Whenever you see a turtle on a post, you know the turtle didn’t get there by itself. Dr. Betty Siegel, former President of Kennesaw State University, discusses the life lesson we can learn from this fact and how we can apply this to brilliant leadership.

Let the Game Come to You

November 10th, 2011

Living here in Atlanta I am a huge baseball and football fan. The Atlanta Braves were doing well this year and leading by 8½ games in early September.  It looked like the playoffs were a sure thing! Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. They lost the lead and a chance of playing in the post-season.

Before the demise of the Braves was certain, Chipper Jones, who plays third base, said something to the team. Chipper is a 15 year veteran of the team and the young players look to him for counsel, advice and leadership. He commands a lot of respect and has shown himself to be a leader with his history of success. At one of the team meetings, he said, “Hey guys, we’re trying too hard. You have to let the game come to you.”

I was intrigued by the fact that a baseball player, Read more »

Leading from Essence

November 3rd, 2011

The Brilliant Leader Model™ shows a correlation between the leader’s internal resources and the outer circumstances which he or she faces. Ignoring this link can lead to an assortment of organizational problems, failures, poor attitudes, and bad relationships. Paying attention to the feeling inner side of the leader is the fastest way of creating value in the outer world of results. The ancient wisdom “As within, so without” works personally in life and professionally at the office.

The Brilliant Leader Model™ holds a reverent space for the value of a leader’s personal reflection time and spirituality. During scheduled quiet time, a leader demonstrates rejuvenating self-care which ultimately spills over into business empowerment, with an attitude of service towards others. While the soul is impossible to describe, we know its vibrant, expressive, and transformational qualities. What some may call their most powerful inner resource “potential,” the model refers to it as “core essence.” Read more »

3 Lessons Learned From a Brilliant Executive: Steve Jobs

October 25th, 2011

I recently heard about a book called “The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth”. The premise is that the Geeks, the Nerds, and the folks that were not very popular in High School have often become very wealthy. You can think of numerous examples: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, the Google guys – Larry Page and Sergey Brin. These brilliant minds are behind numerous tech related, web-based, social networks, programs and software that have really changed our lives. Generally, those that are the most successful in life are like most of us. They have played by the rules, done the right thing, and had a few wild ideas or occasional experiences along the way. Read more »

Leading on Shifting Sand

October 20th, 2011

Traditional leadership models focus on action, performance, and results. Leaders scrutinize and streamline critical external resources and activities to get results in ways that are better, faster, and smarter. While these essential objectives will always be relevant to business, a new leadership paradigm is emerging for the 21st century and beyond. While leadership models of the past did not fully address the human side of leaders, we now know it to be the most critical element in creating the ultimate, sustainable success for an organization. In business, the threat is no longer just the competitive “jungle out there” but also the lack of clarity within the leader. With longevity and legacy on their minds, CEOs are now adopting holistic models where thriving replaces surviving, where values of inclusion and collaboration replace the old school of exclusion and competition. In the wise words of Steve Green, a CEO from Savannah, Georgia, “Leadership is not about being the smartest person in the room but getting the smartest people in the room.” Read more »

Life Flows When You Let Go….

October 13th, 2011

A friend asked me to go with her to a Business gathering recently and I agreed. My reason was mainly to spend time with her and for a change of pace. It was a nice event at a great venue with delicious hors d’oeuvres and an interesting presentation. There were three people there I knew already.  Two were former students in my Coaching Certification course I taught several years ago and one was a business colleague I had not seen for a year or so. It was a pleasant surprise and provided a great opportunity to catch up.

Then I met Bernie Wolford, one of the hosts of the event. I had a delightful conversation Read more »

Gratitude in Action

October 4th, 2011

I love the change of seasons. I love the cooler weather. Change of seasons – especially the fall – remind me we can begin over and over again throughout the year as well as in our lives. This is the time to reflect on how you and your business are doing and plan for what’s ahead. Forget about waiting until the New Year when things are cold and dark. There’s life all around! Football has started up, school is back at full throttle, and local Fairs and Farmer’s Markets display their beautiful, delicious fruit and crafts to consider for Christmas gifts.

Reasons Why I Am Grateful

As you can tell, lately I have been overwhelmed with gratitude. I have the most wonderful husband and child in the world. They love and accept me ‘just like I am’ with no requirements or requests to change. Read more »

Blocks to Brilliance

September 22nd, 2011

My clients often seem unaware of how they allow their shadow-side to eclipse their brilliance. They are so focused on ‘getting it done’, checking things off the list, making the Board meeting, and hitting their numbers that they lose sight of their inner compass that will lead them home. They keep looking for external directional signs which often lead to thinking and playing small.

I have observed some common blocks that consistently sideline top leaders playing a competitive game rather than a collaborative one that values the ‘we over me’ mentality. You can remove these obstacles if you are familiar with any of the four blocks to brilliance below! Read more »