So, it’s been two months since the spill. Some reports actually minimize the spill and its effects putting it in “a bigger perspective.” The reality is no one really knows what the ultimate long-term effects will be. The bigger perspective would be to consider how our actions impact the environment, not always placing profit first.

Yet, we do know that thousands of wildlife have, and will continue to die. And the spill isn’t anywhere near getting cleaned up or “fixed.” I know so many people who want to help but relief efforts are blocked.

Many of us are outraged that the clean up efforts seem so slow, complicated and ineffective. Where IS the leadership in all of this mess? Clearly no one was “steering the boat” before the spill. And I’m not sure what’s really been happening since except that different parties want to place blame or are concerned about who is paying for what.

You have to hand it to these guys who came up with a seemingly simple solution and socialized it on the internet. The best of using social media to solve world problems. Is this too simple and cheap to work? Why not try it?

It seems that the relief efforts have become a political hot potato which seems to be slowing down real progress.

What do you think?

Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC   All rights reserved.   www.sagelead.com

Frankly, the best leadership I am seeing in the food industry is in the likes of Jamie Oliver. He introduces a tragic 16 year old who is diagnosed with 6 years to live due to obesity which is effecting her liver among other ailments. We are killing our children – or allowing them to kill themselves. Jamie is passionate and practical… and on a mission to transform the obesity epidemic in this country. 

Yes, we can blame parents or the school system. And clearly responsibility lies there. But, the missing players are the giants in the food companies. Their processed products are laced with fat and sugar, addicting and incredibly misleading to the uneducated consumer. One need only see Morgan Spurlock’s Supersize Me to realize that much of this food is not only addicting, but causes obesity and disease. Morgan himself went from being in stellar health to his major organs starting to shut down in a mere 20+ days on an all MacDonald’s diet.

It is a sad fact that the current generation may be the first one in many generations that have a shorter life expectancy than their parents – all due to factors that are controllable – diet and lifestyle. And, we need food companies to make decisions based on other criteria other than profit.

Where is leadership in the food industry? Who will be the brave giant to stop these toxic fillers in prepared foods? What can you do today to boycott or demand the changes? What can you do to educate yourself or the children in your life on better nutrition?

The answers to these questions are truly a matter of life or death for almost an entire generation.

Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC   All rights reserved.    www.sagelead.com

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Yesterday, The New York Times ran an article that talked about workplace stress. It is not new news to say that the biggest source of stress on the job can be your immediate supervisor. Nor is it new news to say, as Dr. Sutton is quoted as saying, “The pile of evidence coming out shows that if you want to be an effective organization or an effective boss, you’ve got to strike a balance between humanity and performance.”

We have known this for years – whether we admitted it or not. What IS new is that maybe, just maybe we are ready to practice what they know: To understand that sustained high performance is intimately connected to working with our humanity. We cannot continuously perform well if we are not happy, healthy, respected and trusted.

It just doesn’t work.

We cannot expect sustained high performance from our employees when we work them 24/7, don’t give them the respect, freedom, and/or ability to make decisions within their perview or expertise. We cannot expect ourselves to perform well if we don’t set healthy limits and take care of our minds and bodies.

I am seeing many companies operating out of fear – piling on more work. It’s not the companies – it’s the leaders and managers colluding to do this and others allowing it. The employees are afraid they will lose their jobs if they speak up – so they continue to toil away… Until:

They get sick.

They lose their job.

They find another job.

What is holding employees at these companies? They feel they have no place to go…until “the economy picks up.” Then you have a potential brain drain.

So, embracing the people element of performance is not just a moral imperative, it makes good business sense.

What is your longer-term strategy? The question is, are you willing to take a stand and set limits about what is acceptable or not – whether you are an employee or a leader?

© Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC     All rights Reserved.   www.sagelead.com

The NY stock market “Blip” dip by 1000 points in one hour – somebody “hit a wrong button?!!” Cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf. Bailing out Greece. Keeping faith in the Euro. … A small sample of what has made the news in the last week.

It’s no wonder many of us are on overdrive – trying to survive and thrive in a world that is in crisis.

Check out our latest newsletter where you will learn about our new Coaching Program: Strategies for Sustained Performance.

© Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC     All rights reserved.     www.sagelead.com

“You do what you have to do…” I heard it again this morning.

Says who? Who says you HAVE to do something? What DO you Have to do? Who decides?

I find that this is a pervasive paradigm that I hear multiple times a day from:

• An executive who is working globally taking calls at 5 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 6 pm and 11 pm AND managing meetings and emails inbetween.
• A working Mom who says she doesn’t have more quality time with her kids.
• A mid-career professional who “can’t get a job” in their field and takes something way below skill level to “get by.”

The language is limiting, not-strategic, and defeatist and energy-draining. It negates the notion of choice and control. I haven’t been living in a cave the last couple of years – I am aware of the economic downturn, the global political climate, the environmental crisis – should I go on?

The key question that a sage leader asks is – what do I REALLY NEED to do to achieve my goals? Where do I have choices? What are the choices? What kind of focus and discipline do I need to stick to my choices?

The sage leader stays in the space of proactivity versus reactitivity – especially in times of uncertainty and crisis. Often a shift really comes down to going back to basics: delegate, being willing to let go and not trying to do everything – and all at once. What is the one thing that will reset your view – What DO you WANT to do?

Why? What will it get you?

© Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC  All rights reserved.  www.sagelead.com

I recently participated in a discussion on all the attributes one should consider when selecting a leader. My colleagues had a lot valuable insights and ideas. We created a hug, unwieldy list.

Through it all, I suggest ensuring one essential attribute - an effective leader in this day and age is someone who can quiet his/her mind, to listen internally to be a clear conduit for her own ideas and inspirations - and then ready to listen intently to her constituents before speaking. This shows up by her ability to cut through all the noise and chaos and carve and communicate a clear path that enlivens and focuses people.

Mindfulness is a rare but essential practice in today’s climate. What are you doing to cultivate your own attunement?

© Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC    All rights reserved.     ww.sagelead.com

What are you doing today to create more heart in your world? What you do, how you be, how you show up – all create ripple effects. You effect those around you which effects those around them, and so on. What is the effect you are creating as it ripples miles and miles beyond you? These days, with technology, you can be viral around the world within minutes versus days or months a hundred years ago. Big impact. Bu what KIND of impact?

How are you a bridge, a conduit for information, people or resources?

Now is the time we all must join forces. We are seeing much more collaboration taking place – whether it is governments, or large or small companies. Everyone is looking for solutions in “hard times.” However you get there, it seems that the growing consensus is – we can only survive together. The only way out is through.

How do you keep connection – despite how hard it is? How do you maintain yourself, your family, community or organization in these tenuous times? Everyone wants freedom and choices. With freedom comes responsibility. Think about this word: response – ability. It means having an ability to respond.

The way that we create greater ability to respond and dialogue for complex solutions is to create safe containers for people to discuss and explore alternatives. I don’t care whether you are talking about national healthcare, nuclear disarmament or divorce, the principles and challenges are very similar.

What has happened to our ability to create these safe containers long enough for the deeper dialogues to surface? Please check your ripple at the door or none of us will get out of this global mess alive.

© Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC    All rights reserved.      www.sagelead.com

The question I pose to you today is – what is your calling? How are you uniquely positioned, given your life experience and background, personally and professionally to answer a question that the world is asking NOW? This translates to, how do you fill a need that the world has now – at this point in history?

The mediums of social networking and the internet are potentially very powerful and transforming communication highways and tools to bring people together in service of a collective good.

These times are about connection and integration… and about clearing the name of capitalism – making it okay to make money. It’s about conscious capitalism – it’s about HOW you make money and WHAT you do with the money you make. Are you contributing back to the collective good or is it all about you – as an individual or as a company? How do you BE the strong warrior with a compassionate heart?

© Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC     All rights reserved.   www.sagelead.com

I don’t think we can give enough weight to how our beliefs shape what we manifest in our day-day lives. The Sage Leader is one who understands the power of his or her mind and the power of the words he or she uses.

We become what we think about and what we talk about. The problem is, we are not always aware of what our mind is thinking below the surface. “The devil is in the details!” Below the surface is what we have absorbed or what has been conditioned into us. It is amazing how, a phrase or look someone gave us 10, 20, or 30 years ago can have such a profound effect on how we perceive ourselves and how we navigate through our lives and our work.

Maybe someone said you were brillliant – and you believed it – rightly or wrongly – in “absolute” terms. Maybe someone said you were not too bright – and you believed them.

The Sage Leader is one who excavates and mines her mind - she explores and looks at her underlying beliefs. Which beliefs serve you to be as great as you can be? Which ones serve you to help others be their best selves? Which ones don’t serve you?

How committed are you REALLY to maximizing your life and your contribution as a leader? How CONVICTED are you? Catch yourself – just for today – doing or saying something that is empowering and expansive.

Let the rest fall away.

© Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC    All Rights Reserved.