I have a book titled Daily Reflections that I read every morning. A recent reflection was titled “A Full and Thankful Heart.” The author stated, “I try hard to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot contain great conceits. When brimming with gratitude, one’s heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know.” That author went on to share that most of us are very fortunate. We…

An organization has excellent facilities, technology, best-practice knowledge, and a passionate workforce—yet is not achieving organizational goals. And yes, senior leadership is solid. So what is the issue? In cases like this, I find that a good place to look is experience. What percentage of new people can a department or organization have until it impacts performance? There’s no single answer; it’s relevant to the department, the role, and the new person who fills it. It’s…

“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,…