The Positive Energy Workplace

I was working with a couple of clients this week helping them think through a big meeting next month for their team. The usual suspects showed up: What outcomes do we want? Why are we having it? Do we really need to have it? How can it be as meaningful as possible? How much time do we have? What might come up that we need to be prepared to work with? Who needs to be there? You know... that stuff.

Last August I decided to put myself through my program. A lot had evolved in the model over the last 18 months and I was feeling the urge for an intentional reboot. I called it my own personal "7 week leadership experiment". After all, if I fully engaged in my stuff, and walked my talk, what could I create? I knew 2013 would be a big year for this work given some of the things I'd put in motion, and I wanted to go in fully aware and congruent. My business, life, relationships, and health had nothing to lose.

I have a client I absolutely adore. She has a heart of gold. Intentions to the moon and back. A desire to make people feel valued and cared about. A commitment to transparency and open communication. And a hunger to lead well.

Random things surprise me in the most random of places. This morning it was the power of a 4 minute conversation and some vulnerability with a perfect stranger...

A couple of weeks ago I shared a word cloud that represented responses from a group of senior and executive leaders in one of my LinkedIn groups - "The Design & Innovation Leaders Network: A Private Community Building Creative & Authentic Cultures". The actual query was "What do you consider to be the #1 most important quality in leadership?"