Advice for transforming leadership, culture, Curiosity, and communication from Beth Wonson
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September always seems to be the time when I experience a big desire to get organized. Or as my dear departed Dad would say, to pull yourself together. I don’t know if it is the store shelves lined with back-to-school organizers, the deciduous trees shedding leaves they no longer need, or just the passing of the lazy, hazy days of summer, but I always feel a tug.The onset of fall is also the time when I get eager to check in on where my anchor is set. A dear friend and mentor, Amy Burford, first told me about “checking my…
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Introduction
Hi there, I am here to announce my new podcast Dynamics Of Self. Its officially launching on September 14th 2017, and I want to invite you to join me each week as I share stories, insight, and a little bit of humor that will help you increase self awareness and uncover your unique strengths and skills. Go ahead subscribe now in your podcast app, on my website, or in iTunes. I look forward to connecting with you.
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PSST… I need a favor.
I can hardly believe it has been one year since I sold my home in Los Osos, CA and moved to Sacramento! I’m starting to feel settled in the Sacramento community. I can now get to Trader Joe’s without my GPS, and when someone says, “I’m in South Sac,” I actually know where they are! I’ve fallen in love with the rivers, the redwoods, the restaurants, and the people – and the quick access to San Jose, Napa, and San Francisco. The easy-to-navigate Sacramento airport gives me great access to travel to East Coast clients and family, and I live…
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Guess Why I’m Doing a Happy Dance!
Why am I doing a happy dance? Because I’ve decided to no longer minimize my joy. Do you ever minimize your joy about things that are in process but haven’t fully happened yet? Why do you hold back? Is it fear? Humility? Superstition? Habit? Something else?Do you intentionally force opportunities for joy to smolder instead of allowing a rip-roaring flame of pure glee? Why not reward yourself with a happy dance for each and every action that gets you closer to what you want – whether a full-on hips-and-arms-moving dance (like my friend Tamara) or an internal feeling of sheer…
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No Strategic Plan, No Succession Plan, and A Panic Hire — Oh My!
Over the past six months, I’ve been working with a delightful nonprofit board of directors. The board came to me because they knew they had several challenges after years of smooth sailing, and they could not quite identify a pathway through those challenges. Read on for the story behind each, from their missing strategic plan to their concerns about succession.
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My Anger: Gradually and Then Suddenly
A few years ago, I had a big aha about anger. It didn’t happen all at once. Just like the Ernest Hemingway character Mike says about going bankrupt in The Sun Also Rises, my learning about anger came on “gradually and then suddenly.” The gradual awareness came through repeated feelings of shame, regret, and wishing I’d shown up differently. This awareness was fed through feedback from relationships, coworkers, family members, and my harshest critic – myself.
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A Myth of Power: “Hey Beth, You Shouldn’t Have to Wait”
In an informal observation, a group – comprised of one person identified as the leader and several of their staff – was served a plate of cookies. There were precisely enough cookies for everyone to have one, and then there was one extra cookie.Those not identified as the leader politely took one cookie each and left the spare. After a bit of time, the identified leader walked up and took the extra cookie. To my surprise, this occurred in group after group. Wondering why? Read on to learn how an increase in power can lead to a decrease in empathy.
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Goodbye, Dear Keys!
I don’t remember if I’ve written about this incident before, and if I have, I apologize. Well, actually, I don’t, as today I was reminded again of its importance. A few years ago, I was driving back to my home – in Los Osos, California at that time – from Monterey. It is pretty much a 3-hour straight shot down the 101. For those of you who aren’t familiar with that stretch of highway, there isn’t much along it except agricultural fields and an occasional rest stop…
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Everyone Loves It! …Or Do They?
What do you think when you overhear laughter in your workplace? Are you eager to join in? Do you get the sense a team must be making great progress? Or do you wonder if people are having too much fun to be productive? Maybe you feel left out? Or are you curious who is the target of a harsh joke today?According to the theory of Conscious Leadership put forth in The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success, humor in an organization is a key indicator of a healthy culture in that organization — but what…
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A Possible Third Option
I recently had the opportunity to work with several people who are feeling very frustrated and stuck in jobs where they experience being disempowered, undervalued, frustrated and without a sense of purpose. They came in with the hope that the organization would change. Maybe their boss, the system, or that annoying coworker might change.These people’s beliefs were that they’re stuck with only two options: stay and suffer, or leave and lose it all. Can you relate? Do you ever feel like that? Here’s some good news: I have a possible third option for you…
Leveling up Leadership and Culture Through Healthy and Candid Communication
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