Mother's Day

 

If you did not talk to your mother on Mother’s Day, do it today.

If you have not recently told your mother that you love her, tell her.

If you have not seen your mother recently, plan a trip.

If you need to reconcile with your mother, do it.

If your mother is not in your life or no longer alive, love someone like a mother.

If you need to forgive your mother, do it.

If you need to ask your mother for forgiveness, ask.

If you are a mother, bless you.

 

In loving memory of Barbara Ward Taylor (1940 -2008) - My mother-in-law lost her battle with lung cancer just one week before Mother’s Day.  She was a loving mother, wife, grandparent, friend and family member.  She had a wonderful zest for life and a love for people. 

White Space

 

There is a design concept called white space. It refers to not overcrowding a design and allowing space between components. The concept is used by artists and graphic designers to create more comfortable and pleasing designs that avoid clutter. Think of a wall with a group of pictures or a magazine photo layout. Too little white space can feel uncomfortable, making the content difficult to absorb or understand. Visually, we need white space.

We should apply the concept of white space to our calendars. I manage my days, and my life for that matter, in an Outlook calendar. I don’t like having a day that is back-to-back appointments booked all day long, or a week with little or no open time. We need white space in our schedule. We need blocks of time to be productive and blocks to recharge. All jobs and schedules are different, but we all need some open time in our lives.

At the end of the day, it is your calendar. Design your calendar like an artist, create your white space!

PS: TJ – Please note above!

Growth & Grace

 

If someone were to ask if you feel like you have grown over time, how would you answer? Are you different than you were six months ago or even a year ago?  Most of us would answer with a resounding, “Yes!” I believe we improve with age, much like wine. Perhaps we become wiser, calmer or even more generous. So why do we look at others and judge, or assume, the person they are today is who they will always be? We do not know who they will become or what they are capable of doing in the future. We also do not know what they may have been in the past. Maybe instead of being skeptical because we do not like what we see, we should have faith knowing they too will learn and grow in time. 

How are you improving overtime? Better yet, how much grace are you showing others going through the same growth process?

Leadership is a Process

 

“The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet must talk
the language of the visionary and the idealist.”
--Eric Hoffer        

 

I do not know Eric Hoffer, but in this quote, he has nailed one of the key challenges of leadership.  Great leaders must be able to relate to all types of people and personalities.  They are capable of thinking and communicating in styles other than their natural personalities.  I consider myself a very practical and pragmatic leader.  That makes it my challenge to relate well to visionaries and non-detail people.  In order to be a good leader, I must be able to understand people who think and see the world differently than I do.  Great leaders adapt their style.  Static leaders become non-leaders. 

 

What are you doing to adjust your leadership style to situations and personalities?