Empowering Leadership and Music Articles
Each article uses our empower framework that we also use for our leadership coaching services.
partners with Rhythm
In the same spirit as 1-1 meetings, nothing is more important than Rhythmic conversations with peers and partners. It is complicated, as for most of your career you are “competing” with them, imagining that only one of you will get the step up. There is truth in that, but also that without good relationships, you will become more and more insulated. To stay with the musical metaphor, without the band, the lead guitarist is flashy… but rarely would be recognized. So who are your “bandmates”, and how do you sort out how to partner with them?
manage Rhythm.. 1-1 Meetings…
One of the first questions I used to ask leaders in our initial Coaching conversation was “How often do you meet with your direct reports?” More often than not, it was met with a few moments of puzzled silence, and then typically “Oh we talk every day!” The HARDEST thing about coaching is not letting your judgment enter into the conversation. But to be honest, I normally sigh, and, as I’m a terrible poker player, that usually takes the conversation into a different place. I have at least learned to back up and ask a better question: “What is your approach to management?”… which helps me deduce the same thing… do they use the Rhythm method?
engaging Rhythm…by Listening
Balance is hard to achieve in any endeavor… until you notice you are getting slightly off-center. When I conceived of this blog, it would be a little music, a little leadership, and a story to make it memorable. These last few weeks, the leadership insights were like many management books, “Be Like Me,” which I find… not helpful. I needed to re-engage to establish a new Rhythm. The backbeat: it is Black History Month, so an African American artist focusing on Rhythm – what I call “Management Hygiene.” … there is only one person…
A Decision to renew…
As I was reaching the end of Junior High, I started to feel like I wanted to renew my faith by leaving my parent’s church. Not their faith - that was, and is, a lifelong gift I...
executing Playful Decisions…
My 14th birthday came near the end of the 9th grade, as I was about to head into High School. One of the Decisions my parents made was to push me up an entire year… and in Texas...
wonderful Decisions
So who are we… really? If you study Ancestry family trees or watch Finding Your Roots on PBS, you see the family trees that create the web of life around us. The paradox is...
A Decision to observe…
When my father observed that I was interested in photography and actually reasonably good at it, he Decided to buy me my own camera. The Rolliflex was a great piece of equipment...
partner Decisions…
Like everyone, I knew of Einstein, but the assignment was to give a live talk in costume for 10 minutes… and no pressure - it was only half your grade for that semester of 8th...
managing Decisions…
I have written before about my best friend in Junior High and High School being Jewish. It was very clear to both of us that we really did not fit in, and at least I had only to...
Decisions to engage…
Having missed Texas History, normally taught in 7th grade while I was in Florida, I found myself engaged in an advanced World History class taught by a relatively young woman...
What is Efficient renewal?
Listen on iTunes My father was an Industrial Engineer, which he would remind you meant he had to master the hardest parts of ALL of the engineering disciplines. Schooled in...
executing Efficiently
So back to my teen years, and now I was “old enough” to be some help on the farm in Lubbock. Archie - everyone called my Grandfather that - had 200+ acres about 10 miles south...
The wonder of In-Efficient…
Listen on iTunes The wonder is at this point in my story, the LAST band I would have listened to was Asleep at the Wheel. My negative framing would have been “... an...
observing Efficiently…
Listen on iTunes When I was a small baby, my parents were out visiting Mom’s folks in Lubbock, Texas. My Grandmother kept babies in her home for much of her life, and as...
partner Efficiency
Listen on iTunes One thing that was big in East Texas were formal dances. No exaggeration, there were no less than 9 formal dances… a year. In fact, the Senior Prom...
Efficient management
Listen on iTunes Breaking into the tight community that Tyler is was not something that anybody could manage Efficiently… much less an 8th grader. The money center for the...
The Efficiency of engaging
Listen on iTunes If you have noticed these postings being more coherent, better written, and easier to understand, it is due to my new partner/editor/producer. He has...
The renewal of Healing
If you needed another reason to dislike Texas, it hosts all 4 of the poisonous snakes, in addition to spiders and scorpions typical for the Southwest. East Texas was heavily...
Healing execution…
Something that gets executed along with music is dancing. And generally speaking, that involves someone of the opposite sex, which somewhere in Junior High start to appear -...
The Healing of wonder…
We moved to Florida when IBM started a facility there. Dad’s career needed a rotation through a “development lab” where he would understand what is involved in designing...