I just logged Dip 252 in Lake Ontario. When I did my first dip with a group of friends as part of a large community event in November 2002, I thought. “Ah, I’ll try anything once!”. No one could be more surprised than I was to discover I wanted to do it again. And again, and again.
Change is here to stay and it’s stressing a lot of people out. We are all trying to adapt as best as we can, but some of the normal “go to” strategies that used to work aren’t helping like we might expect. Put together a global pandemic, the proliferation of artificial intelligence and rapid change into the mix and the need to re-think productivity is more important than ever.
Ever been really committed to a goal, but found yourself facing unexpected hurdles, unrealistic deadlines and you’ve been seemingly ghosted by your collaborators?
Spending a day on your feet with 2,700 other women for a day of learning and inspiration from some great female thought leaders and authors is such a treat. One of my favourite engagements, The Art of Leadership for Women at the Metro Convention Centre, was bursting at the seams with people chatting, networking, and soaking up some wisdom from the stage.
Building your adaptive capacity in the ever-changing workplace of today requires the skill of unlearning. One area of organizational challenge where that is needed more than ever is when it comes to tackling the challenge of departments working in separate silos.
Have you ever experienced being on the brink of a new challenge or even an opportunity, and you get hit by a wave of self-doubt and fear? Finding the adaptability muscles to move out of the familiar and what’s worked before, into unknown and uncertain territory doesn’t necessarily come easily.
As we start to return to the workplace, it’s more important than ever to focus on building connections and fostering relationships with our colleagues. When you’ve only ever connected on screen as “headshots in a box”, it takes time, initiative and intention to rebuild a sense of trust and community.
As the flowers emerge after a long cold winter, there’s a lot of preparation that’s happening below the ground that we don’t see or even appreciate. Growing, stretching and realizing your highest potential isn’t something that happens overnight because you attended the right workshop, or had a great coaching conversation, or you read an inspiring book.
Putting on a community musical theatre production is a great laboratory to learn about leadership, creativity and decision-making in action. I often wonder how it might be possible for leadership teams to have a micro-experience of live performance as a way of gaining new insight and appreciation for what it takes to develop and lead high performing teams.
We all face change and uncertainty every day, and it seems like it’s coming at us faster and fiercer with each passing moment. Our ability to adapt and respond effectively – both individually and collectively – will determine whether we sink or swim. When the pressure is on, it’s common to reach for the familiar.
5 minutes. 7 questions. Find out where you are and where you need to be leading from.