Four Memorable Quotes from Real-Time Leaders

July 8th, 2011

I’ve had the delightful experience of being able to interview inspirational CEOs and business leaders over the past months as I prepare for my upcoming book. I continue to be amazed and inspired by their stories, their competence, and generosity. I leave every interview feeling energized and inspired and I want to “be better” just by hearing their story.

Below are a few of the quotes that have been memorable:

“Leadership does not accrue to those with longest seniority-but to those who earn it every day.” — Eric Norwood, CEO, Dekalb Medical Center, Decatur, GA

“Leadership is not about being the smartest person in the room, but getting the smartest people in the room.” — Steve Green, CEO and President of Stephen Green Properties, Savannah, GA

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How to Live, Think, and Lead with Brilliance! (Part II)

June 28th, 2011

There are multiple facets to Executive Brilliance that allow transformational leaders to Live, Think and Lead with brilliance. The following “to do” list (the second half of two lists about living, thinking and leading with brilliance) will help you achieve that goal. Work on these activities each day and watch how your inner brilliance can positively influence those around you:

  1. Silence the static noise around you and go within: Develop a daily practice of quieting your mind.  Develop inner resources that help you deal with outer circumstances.  Take a walk, read a book, take a nap, practice meditation.  Do something that is NOT work related.   The time away from the hustle and bustle of work will make you even more effective when you return.
  2. Learn to say “No” and practice saying “No” to time-eater tasks you could delegate: Listen to your inner feelings.  Do you say yes when you really want to say no?  Go ahead!  It’s healthy to say no! Read more »

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How to Live, Think, and Lead with Brilliance! (Part I)

June 27th, 2011

There are multiple facets to Executive Brilliance that allow transformational leaders to Live, Think and Lead with brilliance. The following “to do” list (the first half of two lists) will help you achieve that goal. Work on these activities each day and watch how your inner brilliance can positively influence those around you:

  1. Lead by example by continuing and improving your own skills and knowledge: Lifelong learning is a natural and essential part of the brilliance process.  Winston Churchill said, “The sad thing about experience is it can be wasted on a person.”  Learn, grow, shine brighter! Read more »

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Duck, Duck, Loosey, Goosey

June 22nd, 2011

Inspiration can be found in the simplest of places if we are open to see it. Recently I was watching one of my favorite programs “Sunday Morning” and there was a touching story about a retired executive named Dominique and a goose that developed a friendship at a park in Los Angeles. The man would go to the park to walk and somehow one of the geese ‘took a liking’ to him and would walk every step of the way with him. The goose even tried to follow him home! Watch it here…. Read more »


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Are you Reflecting Light or Casting a Shadow?

June 16th, 2011

The giant presence of a lighthouse, topped with a powerful beacon, conjures images of safe guidance and the warning of imminent danger for those travelling by sea.  Historically, lighthouses have been used to mark points of hazardous coastline as well as to indicate the entrance to a secure harbor.  It is unfortunate that the number of operational lighthouses continues to decline as their purpose is replaced by advanced geo-location technology.  Still, the lighthouse itself remains an iconic symbol for a safe journey home and for an illuminated path during difficult times.

Like the lighthouse, a leader is also in a position to provide guidance and to cast a concentrated light on the unseen perils facing people and an organization.  Through their personal light do they light the way for others, and from the brilliance at the core of their being are they meant to shine out!  Read more »


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Go Take a Walk in the Park!

June 15th, 2011

I am fortunate to have a lovely park near our home. As a matter of fact, we have three parks within a five mile radius of our home! This is gift that is not missed on me and I am truly grateful. My favorite park has a large body of water or pond in the middle of it. There is something about water that calms and soothes my mind and soul. As I walked at this park this morning all of my senses were acute and I noticed the myriad faces of Spring — from the gentle breeze, the delightful aroma of honeysuckle and more activity with people running, walking and fishing.

Some people walked slowly, some more briskly. The same was true of the joggers – some were running ‘full out’ and others a more leisurely pace. Some people wore earplugs and listened to music,  while others sang out loud. There were men playing soccer and laughing as much as they ran. There were parties at two pavilions preparing for a cook-out. They had the charcoal grills going, tablecloths on the picnic tables full of hamburger buns, chips and drinks. The people who were fishing seemed so peaceful and relaxed. Read more »


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Three Ways You Can POSITIVELY Deal with Grief

June 13th, 2011

I’d like to focus today on grief. I’ve had several significant events that have brought grief into my life. Interestingly, I wasn’t even aware of the impact they had on me until many months later. These events included a transition from one business to creating a new one, our son leaving for college within a week of my business changing, and then a very significant relationship that started professionally and grew into a personal relationship had a significant challenge and changed forms as well.

As I’ve gotten through each of the events above
and reflected on their impact on my life, I’ve thought of several ways grief can be good for us both personally and professionally.

Grief Reveals our Capacity to Commit

The first thing that is good about grief is that it shows us that we cared about, committed to, or were involved in something that was so significant that we miss it. We view it as a loss. This is a testament to our capacity for commitment. We committed ourselves to something or someone that it hurts that that they, or it, no longer exist in our lives. We need to celebrate the fact that we created something so significant that the loss has a real impact on our lives. That says something about who we are as a person. Read more »


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Reasons Why Poor Employee Performance May be YOUR Fault (Part II)

May 31st, 2011

Last week I discussed one reason why poor employee performance may be the leaders fault. The following are two additional reasons that employee performance may suffer and what you can do about it.

Expectations are Not Clearly Defined

Our experience has shown that across different industries people are hired but the results that are expected from these new employees are not clearly defined. In most companies the on-boarding process is weak and inconsistent. Employees are hired and expected to navigate this process on their own. The results are many times disastrous and expensive.

Consider these examples of expectation misalignment. Many of the companies we work with have expectations of Business Development but fail to explain the parameters or the numbers they are expected to achieve. Read more »


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Reasons Why Poor Employee Performance May be YOUR Fault (Part I)

May 26th, 2011

I have recently met with three different companies who are interested in Executive Brilliance’s services and they ALL had almost identical needs and challenges. Top executives at each of these companies expressed the need for assistance in closing the gap between what management expected and how employees were performing. They need their people to step up their game and be more proactive in business development or for their managers to develop employees within their departments. This is especially important as the economy is beginning to improve.

This challenge of aligning expectations and achieving results is so common and pervasive; I thought it might be beneficial to discuss them as YOU are probably experiencing them as well. What we find at Executive Brilliance is most organizations make the same mistakes over and over again and are unaware of what they are doing – they simply know they are not achieving the business results they desire. I’ll start with one common mistake today (along with the solution) and address two more next week. Read more »


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Is There Grace in Your Race?

May 20th, 2011

My husband and I recently went to Vegas for our 25th anniversary. Talk about sensory overload! I’m still decompressing! The lights, the glitter, the shows, and the hookers. Hundreds of slot machines in every hotel, delectable food, street shows. It was ALL there ALL the time – 24/7.

We enjoyed our trip very much but were thrilled to return to our nice, quiet neighborhood and our routine.

As I saw all the fast paced, frenetic, non-stop activity it reminded me that this is how many of us lead our lives. We measure success by how full our calendar is or the number of speaking engagements we have. We feel good about ourselves when we see the number of commas in our check book or we think about the size and number of our homes. The only problem is that these are faulty metrics when it comes to measuring a fulfilled and satisfying life. Read more »


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