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Our days are filled with constant dinging of notifications, alerts, and messages. A package has been delivered. A prescription is ready for pickup. A bank sends a fraud alert. A colleague comments on a document. An email arrives just as we're finishing another task. Before long, we've spent the day responding to everyone else's priorities without making much progress on our own. Technology has given us remarkable tools to communicate asynchronously, thus allowing people to sh

Does the thought of planning for what's next fill you with excitement...or make you want to run and hide? The honest answer might be yes. Both emotions can exist at the same time. Planning can feel energizing because it invites us to dream about new possibilities. At the same time, it can feel overwhelming because life rarely unfolds exactly as we expect. In a world that seems to change by the day, making plans can sometimes feel almost pointless. Yet planning isn't about pre

Today, in my corner of the world, the wind is blowing the rain sideways. It's one of those gray winter days that invites you to pull the blanket a little higher, refill your coffee just because it's warm, and wonder if the sun remembers where you live. We've all had days like that. They can quietly influence our mood if we're not paying attention. So I've adopted a small practice to help shift my perspective. As my coffee brews and I fill my water bottle each morning, I close

Cultivating change is as much art as it is science. At first glance, those two ideas may seem like opposites. Science seeks evidence, patterns, and measurable outcomes. Art invites creativity, intuition, and imagination. They are nothing alike! Yet meaningful transformation requires both. We need the structure of proven practices alongside the courage to step into something new. That is why coaching is so powerful. Coaching doesn't simply provide answers. It creates pathways

There are days when leadership feels like standing in the middle of a windstorm. Not every gust is dramatic. Sometimes it's minor. Things like an unexpected email, a volunteer calling in sick, or technology deciding today is the perfect day for an update. Before long, leaders find themselves putting out one fire after another, wondering where the day went. Most who have led a team or organization have experienced seasons like this. The interesting thing about resilience is th

Let's talk about the part of organizational growth that rarely makes it into the strategic plan: the growing pains. Not the exciting kind that comes with new opportunities or expanded impact. I'm talking about the quieter moments when your calendar is full, your team is stretched, and you wonder why something good suddenly feels so hard. If you've been there, you're not alone. Every healthy organization experiences growing pains because every season of growth requires people

Have you ever noticed that a garden doesn't apologize for having seasons? There are seasons for planting, pruning, waiting, and harvesting. Each one has a purpose. Yet, we rarely extend ourselves the same grace. We expect to grow without resting, produce without being nourished, and lead without taking time to care for the very person doing the leading. The truth is, growth isn't something we accomplish once. It's something we cultivate over time. Whether you're leading a bus

Change has a funny way of arriving, whether we're ready or not. Every few months, the seasons offer that reminder. The days grow longer, the air turns warmer, and suddenly the garden is producing more than I can keep up with. At the same time, my calendar seems to take on a life of its own, filling with travel, appointments, celebrations, and responsibilities that mark every stage of life. I've always loved having a garden, although I would never claim to be a master gard

If I had to distill my work into a single phrase, it would be this: Kitchen table to conference table. Let's be honest. All businesses go through change. For better or for worse, change is inevitable. Change causes growth. Growth causes change. The two go hand-in-hand. What does a Kitchen table to Conference table moment look like? Picture this: leadership discussing the organization's SOPs: Leader 1: Can we remove the names for the roles and responsibilities? Leader 2: Yes

A well-guided discussion can assist small nonprofit boards in clearly defining their focus areas to achieve quarterly results. ...

Recently, I helped an organization make good use of its time and talents. An upcoming all-staff training for an organization I work with...

Webster’s Dictionary defines continuum “as a coherent whole characterized as a collection, sequence, or progression of values or elements...

Demystifying the mission and vision statement process #benindthescene Reframing the process from ‘not interesting’ to 'exciting and...

Perspective: a specific point of view in understanding or judging things or events. Healthy organizations use more than one perspective. ...

It’s the very end of the fourth quarter for 2020. For most businesses, the fourth quarter includes planning for the coming year. Some...

Found some calm water. Paddling on this water was a great way to plan for the rest of 2020..... I was staring at my screen again. I was...

It is the intentional work of individual team members strengthening and increasing their personal life skill capacity to increase the...