How Can You Use Optimism to Achieve Your Goals? I recently learned about “dynamic optimism” and “passive optimism.” Dynamic optimists act. They see their reality, they set a goal. They use a variety of steps to achieve their goal, using the growth mindset all along the way. They persevere. Passive optimists don’t do those things. They hope for […]
CAL Newsletter: How Can You Use Optimism to Achieve Your Goals? Read More »
I spoke with a treasured colleague, Alex, a couple of weeks ago. He told me he was so busy he couldn’t “find” the time to write. I asked about his family and the house. No, everyone’s okay. Cooking, cleaning, kids—all good. He’s not working out any more than usual. I then asked this question: “How
Do You Offer Your Attention to People Who Deserve It? Read More »
I read Daniel Steinberg’s newsletter about Small Big Thinking. He wrote about small things that appear big. And big things that appear small. In my experience, those small big things tend to be irritants. For instance, I have a pair of perfectly good sneakers that don’t stay tied. There’s something wrong with the shoelaces. I
What Do You Forget to Notice? Read More »
Think back to before the pandemic. How well did you create a difference between the time you spent at work, home, and for yourself? Now, think about where you are now. Where would you say you are now with your time at work, home, and for yourself? Before the pandemic, my days look a lot
What Does Work/Life Balance Mean to You? Read More »
As a consultant, I regularly work with managers who want predictability. To get that predictability, they want to remove “all” of the risk. They do a lot of up-front planning and estimation. They try to predict how things will go. Then, “Something Happens.” That Something requires adaptability and resilience to manage the risk. Some of
What’s Your Tolerance for Risk vs Resilience? Read More »
You might have noticed I missed writing last week’s question-of-the-week. I definitely noticed. Why did I miss a post? I’m not traveling. I have a handle on my client work, workshops, and writing. (A tenuous hold, but I’m still hanging on.) No, it was this website. I posted last month’s newsletter, and then I realized
Are You Yak-Shaving or Creating More Value? Read More »
Do you ever reflect and realize you didn’t accomplish something you wanted to? I don’t regret much in my life. I have one big exception to that—when my mouth says something before my brain realizes I’ve even said anything. (Some of us extroverts have the mouth-engage-before-brain problem. Infrequently, introverts also have this problem.) If I realize what
What Do You Want to Accomplish so You Don’t Create Regrets? Read More »
How often do you feel courageous? I don’t wake up in the morning and say, “Today, I’ll be courageous.” No, it doesn’t work that way for me. As I discover ways to work and live that fit for me, I write about them. I don’t expect other people will work or live in the same
How Can You Encourage Bravery Today? Read More »
Every community contains “messy” humans. We are all imperfect in many ways. Too often, we show these imperfections in our communities. That’s when our professional contributions collide with our personal messiness. Let me confess right now: I am not perfect. At all. I have a healthy ego. I often wonder when my ego crosses the
How Do We Reconcile a Person’s Professional Contributions with Their Personal Behaviors? Read More »
Many of us make short-term decisions right now. Totally understandable given the chaos around us. However, we have a number of wicked problems. When we only think for the short-term, we make decisions that don’t solve those wicked problems. We need to use long-term thinking to influence our short-term decisions. You might wonder about where
Where Do You Want to Be Long-Term, Say in 50 Years? Read More »