…at least in your own mind. You can’t control what changes around you. But you can control your response to change. Come join us today at noon for a one hour relaxing meditation that will rewire your brain to handle incoming chaos.

24 Clapboard Ridge Road, Danbury, CT

Growing a Faith Community has it’s own unique leadership challenges. Given my professional background, I was asked by the President of the Board of my church to lead a team to study what would be entailed to grow our congregation. There ended up being 6 of us, including the President and Minister on the team. It was one of the most rewarding team experiences for me personally – and the Board was happy with our results. When I reflect on why, it had to do with our individual and collective love and passion for what we stand for, and that we set up a culture of learning within the team and best leveraged each others’ background and expertise – and some of my own personal learnings about my faith and myself as a leader. As is expected in any team, we had our share of tension with very different backgrounds, learning, communication and work styles.

This challenged us to not just give lip service, but to really live one of our guiding principles, “To respect the inherent worth and dignity of all persons” within the context of our work. We are a volunteer organization, working around multiple schedules, and trying to do good work that doesn’t get too protracted so we can make needed progress.

We initially started out thinking we could accomplish our task in 3-6 months. As we moved into the real learning of the work, it evolved to 12 months – and we also learned that even “do-gooder, high mission” organizations can be afflicted by the potential for high achieving sabotage and at some point you need to declare victory. Particularly for any service-driven organization, the right balance of inputs and outputs requires necessary tending to so the active few don’t get burned out and the work stays right focused: generated from the mission and joy versus drive.

In allowing ourselves to live with what we were reading, reflecting on and discussing – to really go deep and be aware of our own process as well – we ended up making recommendations for how to move forward based on patience and wisdom, not fear. There are immediate things we could do yet there is also work that we need to live into. You may say, this is easier for a religious organization. Yet, I offer it is just as, or more challenging in some ways – because we have a diversity of beliefs within our religion (some don’t even like the word “church”) and we have the same challenge as all non-profits: making enough money not only to keep the lights on, but to get our message and work more broadly out into the world during these times of fear and crisis.

One challenge lies in being open to all regardless of their monetary means but also challenging those who can give more, to give – in proportion to what they feel they receive in kind – by way of community, support or inspiration. It reminds me of a clip on NPR this morning where a disgruntled listener complained that the station is too biased, but listens every morning, and won’t donate. He did agree to keep a log and share specific stories for one week. I say, it’s okay to challenge or criticize but if you receive or take, you could also give back in some way, whether it is your time, talent or treasure. People’s true values speak most loudly through their time and wallets …

© Copyright 2011 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC All rights Reserved. www.sagelead.com

“To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things everyday” (By Lao Tzu).

Are you making a new year’s resolution or do you really want to set a different intention about how you live your life? The statistics with resolutions are not good. It’s over by January 15th typicallly. But a deeply-held personal intention with focus and action behind it, can be different.

We live in a culture that always wants more – more of ourselves, more from others, move “stuff.” The reality is, we are stuffed. I propose the focus be on what are you going to stop doing? What will you release, remove, let go of in your life – at home, at work, in your relationships?

For those local, come join me for an abundance meditation tomorrow, new year’s day at noon – and every month thereafter – the first Saturday of the month. The way to having an abundant life or business is to stop doing the things that no longer serve you and allowing, creating space for new things to emerge. Live in the white space.

2011 promises to be a year of transformation – let’s go with grace versus kicking and screaming. This is how to live a strategic life – one that harnesses your passion and integrates your experience to select – and deselect – the wise choices. Happy Different Year!

For more details, check here.

By this I mean recreation, not reinventing your career. I mean having real downtime so you can come back to your problems and challenges with renewed energy and different insight. AND ENJOY your life – AND the PROCESS of your life.

Yesterday was my birthday so I took the day off. I usually do on this day. If you can’t take it off on your birthday, then when can you? Afterall, if you can’t celebrate you, how can you expect anyone else to?

What did I do? In modern, American terms: NOTHING. NO-THING.

Nothing PRODUCTIVE.

I slept in, lounged around while my husband serenaded me on guitar. I picked up my bongo drum and joined in. I meditated, did yoga, wrote in my journal, and got my family (teenagers, sans electronics) to go for a hike in the woods with me. Sounds very hippish? It was a heavy dose of taking in and reflection. And then I topped it off with a high calorie, decadent dinner out – lava cake and all!

No, I am not recreating the movie Eat, Pray, Love. I’ve been doing this on my birthday all my life. The key is to periodically do this throughout the year. I work hard and am a driver by nature plunked down into a culture that reinforces these attirbutes. So, if I don’t manage myself – who will? The rewards are integration and renewal… and living from a full versus depleted cup.

Pick a day in the week where you are intentionally NOT productive and do all the things you love. Experiencing productivity withdrawal? Guilt? Then start small and pick at least an hour or 30 minutes. This nothing thing is actually productive. I dare ya. Try it.

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

“If experience was so important, we’d never have anyone walk on the moon.” (By Doug Rader)

Sometimes you just have to trust your intuition. We are living in times where old structures, identities – what we have known to be true - are falling away or dying – because they don’t work. You can’t lie to yourself anymore about who you are or what your purpose is. Companies can’t cut corners on integrity anymore.

The times are calling for new vision, courage and the bold audacity to reinvent yourself or your business.

It’s time to clean out and reboot.

…And lean into the wind of possibility.

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

We live in incredible times. I can be sitting at the beach watching the fireworks and have you “there” with me. Snap, crackle pop – sideways!

Fireworks

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.  You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”   ~Erma Bombeck

Okay, so what is quantum entanglement and what does it have to do with the workplace?

Marilyn Schlitz, President of the Institute for Noetic Sciences in San Francisco has asked the question: “Does our consciousness have the capacity to reach out and connect to someone else in a way that’s health-promoting?” (BTW: Dan Brown based his lead character in his book, The Lost Symbol, on Marilyn and the Institute).

To me, science is catching up with what many of us have known intuitively. So quantum entanglement is described as ”Once two particles have interacted, if you separate them, even by miles, they behave as if they’re still connected.”  So far, this has only been demonstrated on the subatomic level but Marilyn and her team are investigating this possibility with human relationships.

Dean Radin, a senior scientist at the lab wonders: “Could people in close relationships — couples, siblings, parent and child — also be ‘entangled’? Not just emotionally, and psychologically — but also physically?”

I suggest, we think about this concept in terms of our working relationships. I’m sure you have taken worries about work relationships (your boss, co-worker, customer) home – and vice versa – brought feelings about personal relationships to work. There has been a lot documented on the physical effects of stressful work environments. I’m sure at some point you have experienced a stressful work relationship.

What would it feel like if these were joys – charges, positive feelings – about your work relationship? What would it feel like to be engaged with a helpful, positive entanglement? Choose one relationship today to focus on to boost your immune system and allow the other worries to fall away. Just for today.

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

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