“Grace, not perfection.” This statement (which also happens to be the title of one of my favorite books by Emily Ley) was sent to me by Allyson W. Anderson, the executive director of Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition. She had read my column that mentioned forgiveness as a value. Allyson sent me a photo from a recent retreat they did, and forgiveness is listed on a visual they created. The team developed it. I also received an email from…

In my book The Busy Leader’s Handbook, Chapter 1 is on self-awareness and coachability. Self-awareness is one’s ability to perceive and understand the characteristics that make them who they are as an individual: personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, and thoughts. The greater self-awareness a person has, the more coachable they are. In the book, I provide tips on how to gain self-awareness and become more coachable. My experience is that a key characteristic the best performers…

It is never wrong to say, “I am sorry.” After the last three years, which have been very tough, forgiveness may be needed. I got an early view of research that will be released in a few months. Things have changed quite a bit with employee engagement. With the many changes made, at times hour to hour, the issue of trust is a common theme. People wonder: Can I trust the CEO’s information? Is the…

When I hear from leaders, staffing is almost always at or near the top of the biggest issues they are facing. It seems we are constantly asking ourselves, Do we have enough staff? This question usually centers on the number of staff. If we are fortunate enough to have the needed numbers, then the discussion moves to items like, What is the experience level of our staff? Usually it is both. One, there’s not enough staff, and two,…

I spend a lot of time inside organizations. A common thread I see is that there are many people who are either new to the organization or, if they’ve been there for a while, are in a new position. Both situations can be daunting. Then add the fact that organizations don’t always adapt certain measures to the newness of the team, and the result is individual and organizational tension. Peter Senge, author of The Fifth…

Most of us have growing pains, or experiences that can be uncomfortable. Yet, when we look back on some of these pains, we can see they created our greatest learning gains. One of my growing pains was when I was told my job was not about how hard I was working or the hours I was putting in. My job was to deliver the outcomes I was being paid to deliver.   At that time, I…

Is it doable? That is the question. As regular readers know, I have been able to get back into healthcare. However, at times, I still work with non-healthcare companies and also communities based on the ideas in my book Building a Vibrant Community: How Citizen-Powered Change Is Reshaping America. In all fields, I find it so useful to ask that short, yet powerful question. Prior to making a recommendation, it’s best to complete a diagnosis. In any situation, if…

A learning that has proved so helpful to me is to “pause to learn more.” What do I mean? There is great value in pausing and taking time to learn more prior to taking action. I’ve found that taking time to ask a few questions and do some digging usually proves very helpful. Some may relate this to a form of appreciative inquiry. There can be words people use that can be misleading if taken as…

There are many items involved in running a financially sustainable company/organization. The intent of this column is to point out three that have a large impact on all operations. They are selection, development of leaders, and messaging.   Companies usually have someone whose main job is to oversee these areas. In the book Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, the authors shared that while someone else may be the main point person in…

A main role in my career is creating ways to build and sustain high performance. By “high performance” I mean the organization’s key success metrics. “Sustainability” is performing at a high level over time.   A few of the items I’ve focused on over the years have been retaining employees and creating great patient experiences in the healthcare sector. Due to experiencing some success in healthcare, many of my methods and books are used in non-healthcare…