“Do you want me to do this or do you want to do it yourself?” How many times in your career have you had that thought? You’re given an important task to accomplish by your supervisor, who then insists on inserting himself in the process, asking you to “check in” with him or her …
Continue reading The “Leadership Triangle” (Micromanagement and Apathy)
Part 2 of 2 Last post, we examined the idea of stages of human development from three perspectives: Anderson and Adams’ “Leadership Circle Profile,” Rohr’s “two halves of life,” and Bergi and Achi’s four mindtraps and four “Forms of Mind.” All this work is built on the pioneering work of Piaget, Maslow, Erickson, and Kegan/Lahey. …
Continue reading Live Your Best Life (Stages of Development)
In my post from September 28, 2018, I wrote about the Stages of Development and its impact on my thinking, living, and working. Since that post, I’ve continued to work on better understanding the theory behind this work and how best to apply it to my coaching and helping leaders develop and improve. In fact, …
Continue reading Live Your Best Life (Stages of Development) – Part 1
Breakdowns - When Life Doesn't Go the Way You've Planned Last post, I wrote about breakdowns at work – when things don’t go the way you’ve planned – and what to do about them. We examined a mythical case study about the ABC Manufacturing Company and their total failure with supplying parts to Boeing. It …
Note: The following is a fictional case study used for the purpose of illustrating one of the most frequent causes of company breakdowns and is not meant to portray any organization or person. "A breakdown is an interruption to the anticipated flow of living; the inability for standard practices to work." (Alan Sieler) Things don't …
2013 Black Rock to Rehoboth Beach Ride (seated, left to right: Geoff, Glenn, Jay, and Ralph; I have no idea who the guy is standing) The Big Surprise In 2013 I was participating in the Black Rock to Rehoboth Beach 125-mile bike ride. I had ridden this ride with my buddies several times before and …
The work and wisdom of Julio Olalla has been a significant influence in my work and life. Julio emigrated from Chile to the United States and worked with Fernando Flores, the founder of ontological coaching. In 1991 he founded the Newfield Network - a community of learners trying to make the world a better place …
On October 29, 2019, we convened our first “Meeting (extra)Ordinary Leaders” conference at the Ware Center in Lancaster, PA. One of the purposes of this event was to allow for leaders from diverse fields to expand their networks in a meaningful way. Many networking events fall short of expectations because throwing people into a room …
Continue reading Marketplace of Ideas (Open Space Technology)
“Come to the edge of the cliff,” he said. “We are afraid,” they said. “Come to the edge of the cliff,” he said. “We are afraid,” they said. “Come to the edge of the cliff,” he said. They came. He pushed. They flew. -- Guillaume Apollinaire Full Admission: I’m a Big “Chicken” I can't imagine …
Continue reading Fear of Heights (Can You Spell “Acrophobia?”)
Part 4 of 4 Geoff: Any thoughts on how leaders should develop their personal competencies? Matt: Like I said before about building principals needing coaches. I think every leader needs to find a coach or mentor that they are learning from. I’ve been blessed to have our working relationship over the years. Part of growing …
