Advice for transforming leadership, culture, Curiosity, and communication from Beth Wonson
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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 us. But it turned out we had at least one thing in common, and answering the question it raised connected all of us, despite all.Listen in to hear how our paths crossed and what I found there.
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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 had to begin an exploration of how my emotions get in the way of forward movement, progress, and what is best for the collective. Watch this video to hear more about my journey…
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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 – and also a list of nine rocks that many of us hold onto.
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Which Do You Choose: Your Own Needs or the Good of the Whole?
It’s not important to determine if you’re an individual or if you’re someone more focused on the good of the whole. The important work is about awareness – what the situation in front of you needs most, in that moment. Listen in to learn how to move between the two with ease.
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Your Future Self and the Sirens’ Song
Do you easily make commitments to behavioral changes, but you struggle with following through? The keys to fulfilling your commitments despite external and internal challenges are found in the ancient story of Ulysses and the Sirens’ deadly song.He had himself tied to the mast of his ship and his crew’s ears plugged so they wouldn’t be tempted to their doom, but you can simply think about when and how you’ll need support, and then ask for it. Read on or listen in for more about this commonly missing piece…
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Are You Trying to Get Back on Track?
If you’re off track, you can try to get back on, but maybe it’s time to jump tracks and try out a whole new one.Sure, you can bring some of your experiences, learning, and history with you – but you can also let a whole bunch go…
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When a Canned Approach Just Won’t Do
Ready-made seminars can be helpful, but there are times when a canned approach to leadership won’t get you where you want to go. It’s most effective to tweak the best practices to suit your work style instead of the other way around.Listen in or read on for a case study on Results-driven Ron, who struggles to sit through meetings that continue in discussion long after he’s ready to take action. The steps he learned in an active listening seminar felt false and frustrating, but our customized strategy is a far better fit.
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Empowering Others Through Questions
Is it easy for you to come up with a quick answer to solve other people’s problems? It is for me, too. The challenge is that I’m offering them a solution that’s a good fit for me, but it’s not necessarily a good fit for them.The empowering work is to ask people simple questions that lead them to their best answer. Listen here to learn more.
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Are You Feeling Boxed In at Work?
Not every dissatisfied employee can easily walk away from their job. Government employees especially can find themselves with accumulated benefits such that it’s in their best interest to stay. But even in the private sector, you can leave behind a challenging employer, coworker, or supervisor, but unless you see how you contributed to the challenges, you’ll likely find the same situations at your next job. Listen in (or read on) for 3 questions to ask yourself when the going gets so tough that you’re thinking of going.
Leveling up Leadership and Culture Through Healthy and Candid Communication
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