1: Super Bowl XLIX. Closing seconds…  

The Seattle Seahawks have the ball on the one-yard line. All they need to do is punch it in to score the winning touchdown. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll calls for a passing play. The pass is intercepted.The Seahawks lose. Some sportswriters call it one of the worst calls in league history.

“Such judgmental comments can sometimes crush your morale and resilience,” writes Dr. … continue reading

1: Recognizing our reactivity is step one.

The crucial step two? Managing our reactivity. In Leading Well from Within, Dr. Daniel Friedland* suggests we approach this task sequentially.

Step 1: Pause. “The first step is to simply pause, allowing [ourselves] to mindfully be with whatever sensations, thoughts, and feelings [we] are experiencing,” he writes.

Step 2: Take three breaths. We can intensify the calming effect “by breathing out … continue reading

1: Can we get better at handling stress and self-doubt?

The short answer? Yes.

Life comes at us fast. It’s a VUCA world out there full of “Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.” Our ability to navigate life successfully depends on our ability to move from a reactive mindset to a creative mindset, Dr. Daniel Friedland* writes in his wonderful book Leading Well from Within.  

“The state of … continue reading

Dr. Daniel Friedland arrived at the board meeting feeling raw and out-of-sorts after an argument with his teenage son.  

Danny* was the board chair of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine. It was the morning of the second day of a combined board meeting with another leading organization in integrative health. The goal of the meeting was to formalize the upcoming collaboration of the two groups.

The leader … continue reading

Cy Wakeman believes leadership  is not about motivating people or solving their problems or ordering people around.

Leadership, Cy believes, is about inquiry.  We are at our best when we ask ourselves and our colleagues thoughtful questions, which lead to self-reflection and ultimately to action.

Today we examine the power of self-reflection.  Self-reflection is the path to insight.  It is how we become true experts in our own lives.

It is also … continue reading

This week we’ve been looking at different ways to self-coach ourselves to be more intentional and more present in our lives. We started with the power of getting up an hour earlier and priming ourselves for the day ahead. Then, we looked at seeing our days as a series of pivot points on which to focus. When our attention wanders (as it always does) we simply bring our attention back to what’s most … continue reading

How can we remember to prime ourselves to be more present throughout our day?

Yesterday we looked at one strategy: pay attention to beginning and endings.  

This week we are exploring the wisdom of Dr. Daniel Friedland, author of Leading Well from Within, and the specific ways we can learn to self-coach ourselves and teach others to so the same. 

Danny shares another simple approach to prime ourselves: the … continue reading

Despite our best efforts to plan and prepare, much of what happens is not in our control. Life comes at us hard.  From all directions.  

In the midst of the chaos, however, there are moments where we have a bit more control: entrances and exits.

This week we are exploring the wisdom of Dr. Daniel Friedland and the specific ways we can learn to self-coach ourselves and teach others to so … continue reading

Are our days an endless parade of zoom calls, emails, and follow up’s?

There is a better way, says Dr. Daniel Friedland, author of Leading Well from Within.  This week we are exploring some of Danny’s wisdom around the specific ways we can learn to self-coach ourselves and teach others to so the same.  

Yesterday we looked at the power of being intentional about priming ourselves for our day … continue reading

We recently looked at what makes great teams great.  

Great teams are committed. Commitment is created by starting with purpose. Which begins with intention. Not expectation. 

“Inside out” (intention) beats “outside in” (expectation) every time, says Dr. Daniel Friedland, author of Leading Well from Within.  Danny has been leading me through a process of self-coaching. This ability to self-coach ourselves and then teach other leaders to do the same so they can … continue reading