What’s on the playlist? — One of the advantages I enjoy about WFH is the freedom to crank up some music in my office without bothering my coworkers. Music helps me focus, raises my mood, gives me energy when I’m tired, and calms me down when things get stressful. Grinding through a budget spreadsheet calls…

10 Things to Do Instead. — If you’re reading every new and improved leadership book or article that comes your way, but still find yourself struggling or stuck, the issue isn’t a lack of knowledge. When was the last time you actually put something you read or heard into practice? I don’t mean you tried something…

The root of empathy is love. — It’s always tricky to talk about love in the context of leadership but I happen to believe in the kind of leadership that puts others first, that tries to make lives better, and that is willing to sacrifice for a cause greater than self. And isn’t that kind of what…

The root of purpose is intention. — If I were to ask you, “what’s your purpose?”, would you have a ready answer? If you have a handy and high-minded answer that rolls off your tongue, that’s great. Here’s another question, would your answer have been the same 20 years ago? 10 years ago? 5 years ago? …

The root of honesty is awareness. — What if told you that your thoughts are not a reliable source of data. Most leaders I’ve met, pride themselves on being rationale decision-makers. But our cognitive bias and limited, mental bandwidth makes belief in our innate ability to consume information and reach the right conclusions, well, pretty irrational. So…

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.” — Brené Brown This quote sums up why vulnerability is a root of leadership. Leadership is fundamentally the instrument of change. Change requires courage. It takes courage to put your idea into the arena. To be true to your values when…

The root of self-efficacy is competency. This root appears very straightforward. Competency in your domain inspires self-confidence and a sense that you can and will be effective in your actions and decisions. As you create positive outcomes, you will feel capable of taking on greater responsibility and opportunity. Competency is…

The root of self-esteem is integrity. It is said, that we cannot give what we do not have. If you believe this to be true, then it implies that leaders will struggle to pass on values that they have not made active in their own lives. We can talk about…

The root of self-esteem is integrity. The root of self-efficacy is competency. The root of connection is vulnerability. The root of honesty is awareness. The root of purpose is intention. The root of empathy is love. Integrity, competency, vulnerability, awareness, intention and love are the roots we must grow inside…