Tag: Culture
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From Hierarchy to Agreements: What It Really Means to Distribute Power
The shift from hierarchy to agreements is one of the most fundamental transformations an organization can make. Picture this: You’re in a meeting, and your team has spent weeks researching a solution to a persistent problem. The data is clear, the approach is sound, and everyone who will be affected by the decision is aligned.…
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The Double-Edged Sword of Laissez-Faire Leadership
Not all absence is neglect. Not all freedom is trust. And not all “hands-off” leadership is a gift. In the study of leadership styles, laissez-faire is often defined, both academically and colloquially, as a posture of non-interference. The Oxford Languages dictionary puts it simply: “a policy or attitude of letting things take their own course,…
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Bridging the Leadership Gap: From Transactional Boss to Transformative Change Agent
Leadership doesn’t come in just one flavor, and it certainly doesn’t develop all at once. Most of us develop into our leadership over time, gaining skills, clarity, and self-awareness as we go. And, whether we realize it or not, our approach to leadership reflects how we see our role in the system around us. Some…
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The Center Holds: What It Takes to Lead Through Emotional Undercurrents
You don’t have to name it to feel it. The tension in a check-in that goes a little too quiet. The sideways energy in a team trying to push through. The inner pressure to stay upbeat when you’re not sure how much of your own uncertainty to show. We’re all living in a time of…
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Shaping a New Leadership Playbook for a Complex World
There’s a kind of leadership style that once felt like the gold standard. It was all about decisiveness, structure, and holding the reins firmly. In times of uncertainty, it gave people something to rally around: a confident voice, a clear chain of command, and the promise that someone, somewhere, had things under control. But the…
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Reclaiming Our Seat at the Table: A Reflection on Power, Participation, and Possibility
This week, I turn another year older. While I find that birthdays tend to sneak up with a certain insistence that time is passing, I do appreciate the invitation they offer to pause, reflect, and take stock. This year, my birthday reflection has a different weight to it. We’re living through a time of intensifying…
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Creating Psychologically Safe Workplaces Amid Uncertainty
In times of heightened uncertainty, people look to their workplaces not just as places to earn a living, but as safe havens where they can express themselves without fear. Yet many workplaces fall short when it comes to fostering a true sense of psychological safety, especially for those already facing marginalization or increased vulnerability. In…
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Leading Like a Coach: A Mindset Worth Celebrating
Did you know that the art of coaching has its own celebratory week dedicated to it? That’s right, and this week is International Coaching Week, a time to celebrate the profound impact coaching has on individuals, teams, and organizations worldwide. As a leadership coach, I find this week especially meaningful because it highlights a powerful…
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When Disengagement Becomes the Norm, It’s Time to Rethink the System
Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report offers a grim but unsurprising headline: employee engagement worldwide has declined for the second time since 2009, settling at just 21%. Less than a quarter of the people around the world are engaged in what they do for a living. For managers, the numbers are worse, especially…
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When Your Colleague Isn’t Human: Rethinking Leadership for the Age of AI Agents
It’s hard to ignore all the talk about AI these days. It’s in the news, in our tech, and, more recently, in our dinner conversations. Just last weekend, a friend—a nurse by profession, deeply rooted in earth-based spirituality and about as non-technical as you can get—told me with total sincerity that she believes AI may…