The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog

A mistake is a terrible thing to waste

Chatsworth Consulting Group — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” George Bernard Shaw I have clients (and colleagues, and friends, and family members…and myself at times) who are so afraid of messing up that they don’t do anything. Who are interested in learning a new skill [...]

Get off your butt

Lisa Kohn — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:30:49 +0000

It is true that many of us sit for hours each day. According to Nilofer Merchant, in this short and powerful TED video, most of us sit for over nine hours in a day, more than we sleep. And it is true that sitting that much can cause a health crisis – sitting has been [...]

Stop taking yourself so seriously

Chatsworth Consulting Group — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:30:56 +0000

We often find that we, and our clients, take ourselves so seriously – way too seriously. And this seriousness often causes us problems and snags along our path. With this in mind, we invite you to read Rule #6 – a short excerpt from The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. [...]

Break through to success

Chatsworth Consulting Group — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:30:28 +0000

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” Vincent Van Gogh Often it is the voices within us that stop us from trying and achieving what we really want. Somehow we’ve learned to censor our actions and even our desires. Perhaps [...]

Is being liked a leadership strength?

Robyn McLeod — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:30:57 +0000

You work hard and get good results from your team, yet the vibe of the office is not very positive and upbeat. You wish you had the kind of team that your colleague, Stacey, has. Her team seems to genuinely enjoy working together, raves about her style of managing, and is consistently recognized for their [...]

Shut up!

Chatsworth Consulting Group — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:30:42 +0000

“Speak when you are angry, and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” Ambrose Bierce My passion and intensity is part of what defines me. It makes me me. And it makes me proud. Yet it sometimes gets in my way. Because some of my most passionate moments are when I’m most [...]

Conflict is good – five ways to make it even better!

Lisa Kohn — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:30:53 +0000

From the moment we wake up, we can be – and often are – in conflict with others. With our family members over how the day will go, with team members about the best next step on a project, with our manager over how to implement a new process, with colleagues about budget issues, with [...]

Are you truly listening?

Chatsworth Consulting Group — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:30:39 +0000

“Genuine listening means suspending memory, desire and judgment – and, for a moment at least, existing for the other person.” Michael P. Nichols The other day I was ‘listening‘ to my colleague. We were in the midst of a heated discussion, and it was her turn to share. I knew how to listen – I [...]

Where are you derailing your effectiveness?

Robyn McLeod — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:30:24 +0000

Recently on the way home from school my daughter recounted an incident where a classmate hit another student, and then said that it was a reflex to having her hair touched. My daughter shared that this “reflex” was out of her classmate’s control and an unfortunate consequence for the hair-touching culprit. “That is a reaction,” [...]

You can laugh more

Chatsworth Consulting Group — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:30:51 +0000

“A good time to laugh is anytime you can.” Linda Ellerbee I can be very intense. Ask anyone who knows me. I can get caught in the seriousness of a situation, the meaning of a moment, the dilemma of a debate. I can work very hard to find value in each encounter and search for [...]