Author: Beth Wonson
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Do You Need a Bigger Flashlight?
When we encounter a challenge, problem, or puzzle, throwing heaps of resources at it can seem like the best or only solution. But before you invest a lot of time, money, and effort, get a bigger flashlight and take another look at the problem. A better solution may be smaller, easier, or closer than you…
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Are You Using an Old Bridge to Cross a New Moat?
Today, I was faced with a business challenge. It wasn’t different from problems I’ve solved in the past, but my business has changed; it’s grown, expanded, and developed, as have the goals of the organization. When faced with this challenge, I realized that I keep trying to use the familiar tools that have served me…
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Plug the Leaks … and Fast!
We put so much effort and attention into counting dollars, tracking expenses, investing in the newest technology, and charting our strategic pathway to the future – and those are all valuable activities. But it is the rare leader who connects a dollar value to every minute spent in putting off direct feedback and clearing up…
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How Have You Trained Others to Treat You?
There was a time when I was really mad at an organization for the way (I perceived) they took advantage of me. I was angry and resentful, but what I’ve realized since is they were treating me exactly as I had trained them to – I worked all kinds of hours, I prioritized their goals…
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Uncovering Their Expectations
Have you ever been in a conversation or a meeting where you walk away thinking a decision was made – only to find out others thought it was merely a discussion? It happens all the time, and it is one of the key ways we waste time and manifest drama and chaos. Listen in to…
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Open the Invitation
Many years ago, the National Indian Youth Leadership Project’s Mac Hall taught me an incredible lesson about bringing programs into the world. He said, “We only go where we are invited,” meaning we could provide information, but we wait to be asked. We didn’t assume we knew what was best for a community. Instead, we…
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The Week Behind and the Week Ahead
Do you ever get last-minute emails from your boss on Friday? The ones that drop in just as you are heading out the door? Or even worse – messages that you read on Sunday morning, and they mess up your whole day? Well, here is a great “manage up” strategy to prevent those last-minute communications.
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Roaring Fires in the Night Sky
We went camping a few weekends ago, and I’m pretty good at building campfires, but it’s close to impossible to build a good fire with bad wood.Fortunately, our sad, smoky little fire was rescued by two pairs of gentlemen on two separate occasions. With their tattoos and camos, they appeared to be the opposite of…
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Going One Step Beyond Crucial Conversations
Reading the book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High changed my life. My awareness was increased and I gained more tools, but I was still getting tripped up and triggered by my ideas of what others should do, what they should believe, and how they should behave. That’s when I knew I…
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Let Go of the Rock, Revisited
When we clutch and cling to what we treasure, our tightly closed fist prevents us from accepting anything more, and it can also prevent our moving forward with ease and freedom.Listen in (or read on) for a short, sweet story about a child who learned to open her fist, which, in turn, opened my eyes…