“What in the world? What have you got there, Cora?” “Hi, Dad! Look! I have a stop sign for my room!” At sixteen, for some reason, having a traffic sign in one’s room was deemed “cool.” Trying to explain to a parent why was an effort in futility. However, for this sixteen year-old, the parent chose to capitalize on the act as yet another profound learning event. As I continued on my way back to my bedroom to find a place for my new found treasure, my father stayed in place as he … [Read more...] about Lessons Learned From a Stop Sign; The Power of Purpose
Blog
The Power of Weakness
Many years ago I was in a class learning about the fascinating topic of team dynamics. The class was divided into teams and assigned a project to present to the whole class. Each team presented their projects with creativity and enthusiasm- except one. Apparently there were significant struggles with their team dynamics and they were unable to complete the assignment; therefore they chose to simply present on why they were unable to produce an outcome. After all, they thought, the class was on … [Read more...] about The Power of Weakness
Self-Leadership on Gopher Valley
1979. Gopher Valley Rd., Sheridan, Oregon. “Cora, run to town and get me a pack of cigarettes.” “I can’t. I can’t drive. I can’t do it. No.” “You can do it. You will do it. Go. Now.” At 16, having had my license for 3 months, I totaled my father’s car and put myself in the hospital. By the time I got out of the hospital and was up and walking around the motto of “I am never going to drive again” went from being a casual comment to a lifelong commitment. My father’s leadership style … [Read more...] about Self-Leadership on Gopher Valley
A POWER STRUGGLE OVER ‘A BARREL OF MONKEYS’
I played with my barrel of monkeys to the extent that I decided I wanted to and being a four-year old bent on testing the boundaries, got up and walked away from them. Yes, in case you are wondering, the walk away included leaving the monkeys spread all over the floor; not put away as the rules called for. This scenario sets the stage for dynamics that play out in living rooms, board rooms, team meetings and many supervisor to worker interactions daily. As the script so predictably would … [Read more...] about A POWER STRUGGLE OVER ‘A BARREL OF MONKEYS’