Steady Leadership

How do we stay steady in feeling, thought, word and action? This is especially relevant to leaders in even the flattest of organizations where all eyes are on them. Attend to the basics. Am I grounding all my communication in the corporate vision and principles? Are the words and actions of our executive team aligned with the vision and principles? What weaknesses will we shore up and what strengths will we amplify? What’s our next adaptation? Above all, check in with what keeps you, as a person, in balance and able to see your next move. “The Trough,” a short poem inspired by the Great Lakes region in North America, is my go-to—you can watch Judy Brown read it on YouTube.

WHAT WE’RE READING AND LISTENING TO

I’m re-reading “What Color is Your Parachute?” the classic job-searcher’s manual by Richard N. Bolles updated for 2020. I adapt some of the exercises in my work with clients to dig deeper into what they want from their careers. It has lots of practical information as well.

WORK WE ADMIRE

This is a bit niche. Actor Richard Grant, who co-starred in the tragic-comic film “Withnail and I” as an alcoholic, failing actor, recorded infamous lines from the film on his mobile phone during lockdown. The tweets started around March 20 and these little videos have been part of my resilience routine. What a joy.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,” Maya Angelou, 1928-2014, poet.