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Archive for December, 2009
Thursday, December 31st, 2009
I am so delighted to introduce you to my new blog “Elegant Leadership” that will be posted at http://blog.ceoptions.com/ after the New Year. Since I love to write I will have a more personal blog at www.sylvialafair.com to include thoughts and ideas about relationships, health, and education, as well as business.
Elegant Leadership will include all my newest research concerning leadership. I will suggest the best books, articles, and unique individuals I can find to help you on the difficult daily journey of being the best leader you can be.
Why did I choose the title “elegant leadership”? I honestly think it chose me. I woke up with the term, like a drum beat, repeating over and over in my head. Maybe I had a dream about it, not sure. All I know is, I love the word “elegant” as it is used in scientific realms. In nature elegant signifies finding the simplest and most precise way of responding.
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Tags: Accountability, Behavioral Patterns, Book, Family-Based Patterns, Fear, Health, History, Leaders, Leadership, leadership programs, Management, Media, Money, neuropsychology, Neuroscience, Politics, Power, Psychology, Relationships, Resilience, Stress, Super Achiever, Team Building
Posted in Accountability, Boss, Business, Coaching, Collaboration, Communication, Conflict, Consulting, Diversity, Economy, Ethics, Executive Teams, Fear, Health, History, Holiday, Honor, Human Resources, Integrity, Leaders, Leadership, Management, Marital coaching, Media, Money, Neuroscience, PatternAware, Politics, Power, Psychology, Reflections, Super Achiever, Team Building, The media, Uncategorized, Workplace Relationships | 7 Comments »
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
Tiger Woods’ stories are touching almost every aspect of life in organizations today. Does he owe anything to the golfing community where he is seen as a CEO of sorts? Does he owe anything to his previously adoring public? Of course he owes much to his family, not just wife and children. What about his mother, and mother-in-law who fainted, assumingly from the stress, last week?
One area that could possibly shed some light on the issues of today would be to look at the life Tiger had as a youngster and how that has played out in his adult work-life. This is simply another perspective to consider. Having worked as a family therapist for years, I know first hand that what goes on in someone’s, anyone’s home, is multilayered and complex and cannot be analyzed into two simple categories of good Tiger, and bad Tiger.
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Tags: Accountability, Behavioral Patterns, Conflict, Ethics, Family therapy, Family-Based Patterns, Health, Leadership development, leadership programs, pattern aware, Psychology, Relationships, Stress, Wealth vs Health, Workplace Relationships
Posted in Accountability, Avoider, Coaching, Communication, Conflict, Consulting, Education, Employers, Fear, Health, History, Integrity, Leaders, Leadership, Money, PatternAware, Patterns, Power, The media, Uncategorized | 24 Comments »
Monday, December 14th, 2009
This end of the first decade of Century 21 is a time of searching more deeply for leadership skills that go beyond simple cookbook “become a great leader in one minute” solutions.
General Electric Chairman and CEO, Jeff Immelt, offered some great suggestions in his speech at the West Point Distinguished Leader Series. What struck me was his comment that we “must become systems thinkers who are comfortable with ambiguity”. You can read the entire speech at the GE web site.
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Tags: Accountability, Behavioral Patterns, Boss, Business, Coaching, Collaboration, Communication, Conflict, Consulting, Diversity, Education, Ethics, Executive Teams, Jeffrey Immelt, Leadership, Leadership development, leadership programs, Team Building, West Point, Workplace Relationships
Posted in Accountability, Boss, Business, Coaching, Collaboration, Communication, Diversity, Economy, Ethics, Executive Teams, History, Human Resources, Leadership, Management, PatternAware, Patterns, Power, Team Building, Uncategorized, Workplace Relationships | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
Are leaders measured by different standards than the rest of us? If not, they should be! They are the ones who set the standards of what matters at work, or in society, and if they are in the “Follow me, I know the best way to go” mode, then we really need to ask and understand what and why we should follow.
It is time to evaluate our teachers, our politicians, our gurus by standards that show they live what they teach. However, are sports stars or media moguls in the same classification? They are great at letting us know the best way to swing a bat, make a basket, run a race or what to wear to be hip and in. That is a far different cry than how to live a life.
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Tags: Accountability, Behavioral Patterns, Coaching, Communication, Conflict, Ethics, Family-Based Patterns, Fear, Health, Relationships, Role model, Super Achiever, Team Building
Posted in Accountability, Coaching, Consulting, Education, Employers, Ethics, Executive Teams, Fear, Health, Leaders, Leadership, Marital coaching, PatternAware, Patterns, Psychology, Reflections, Super Achiever, Workplace Relationships | 6 Comments »
Monday, December 7th, 2009
This week is the beginning of the fast track to the holidays. Everyone, no matter what their religious persuasion, is impacted by the bustle, the songs, the red and green decorations, the deep desire for holiday cheer and the disappointment if the dreams and hopes don’t measure up to the realities.
What to do? First, it is important to breathe! Yes, this is simple, inexpensive, and possible at any moment of the day. Deep breathing is better than cookies, wine, and even a new shiny car. Here is what to do: find a quiet place; even if you go into the bathroom and lock the door for five minutes. Keep your feet on the floor and hands on your lap. Then close your eyes. Take a long deep breath through your mouth and then exhale quickly and forcefully through your mouth. Do this at least 7 times and then sit for a moment to let the oxygen stream through your body.
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Tags: Behavioral Patterns, Breathe the stress away, Consulting, family patterns, Family-Based Patterns, Holiday stress, Stress
Posted in Coaching, Communication, Health, Holiday, Leaders, Leadership, Money, Psychology, Reflections | 10 Comments »
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
In a recent Psychology Today article, there was an old spin on the Tiger Woods affair. He did what he did, “because he could”, suggests the PhD psychologist. It was the aphrodisiac of power that lured him into “misbehaving”.
Remember when Bill Clinton had the whole world riveted with his shenanigans in the oval office? Lots of time went into the discussion of “should we care or not, and “whose business is it anyway”? and “it only belongs with the family”.
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Tags: Accountability, Behavioral Patterns, Ethics, family patterns, Family-Based Patterns, Intimate relationship, Leadership development, pattern aware, Relationships, Tiger Woods
Posted in Accountability, Coaching, Ethics, Integrity, Leaders, Leadership, Marital coaching, PatternAware | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
I recently presented at a Human Resources symposium in Hershey, PA. At the end of the session, I was asked the following question, and I want to share the answer with all of you.
The question was about a super-sales type, who would always make sure everyone knew he was the best and the brightest. What he didn’t know was that people said talking with him was like listening to chalk on a blackboard. It sent chills of annoyance up and down most spines.
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Tags: Behavioral Patterns, Communication, Conflict, Executive Teams, Family-Based Patterns, Human Resources, Leaders, Leadership development, Talent management, Workplace Relationships
Posted in Communication, Leaders, Leadership, PatternAware, Patterns | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
What happens when you feel the world is closing in and you just have nothing left to give? What do you do when the tensions and stress of daily life seem to escalate rather than subside? What happens when you feel like you are driving on empty?
Most of us retreat. We find a way to avoid difficult situations and zone out by watching T.V. or starting a big fat book filled with Sudoku challenges. If this sounds like you, listen up! There is a new study by Leadership IQ that says 66% of employees say they have little interaction with their boss, and that is a turn off.
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Tags: Behavioral Patterns, Employee burnout, Ethics, family patterns, Family-Based Patterns, Human Resources, Leadership, Mentor, pattern aware, Workplace conflict
Posted in Boss, Coaching, Collaboration, Communication, Conflict, Consulting, Education, Employers, Ethics, Executive Teams, Fear, Human Resources, Leaders, Leadership, Management, PatternAware, Patterns, Team Building, Workplace Relationships | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
When you think of leadership, what are the key words that come to mind?
Most will make a list that includes: Powerful, Capable, Confident, Ambitious, Risk Taker, Effective, Charismatic, and so on.
The discussion continues on blogs and in articles about what constitutes effective leadership, what we need to include in effective leadership training, and what to look for in mentors, coaches, and managers who can qualify as leaders of choice.
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Tags: Behavioral Patterns, Conflict, Family-Based Patterns, Leadership, pattern aware, Power, Stress, Workplace Relationships
Posted in Accountability, Coaching, Communication, Conflict, Consulting, Executive Teams, Leaders, Leadership, Management, Marital coachiing, PatternAware, Patterns, Team Building | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Why do we care what happened to Tiger Woods and his car accident? Do we care if the same thing had happened to a next door neighbor? What is the reason we salivate and wait for the next bit of news about celebrities and their private lives?
Maybe we are just getting ready to accept the fact that it is an illusion to want to separate who we are at home from who we are at work from who we are in the media from who we are at a party from who we are at the gym from who we are……get the point?
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Tags: Accountability, Behavioral Patterns, Coaching, Communication, Ethics, Family-Based Patterns, Leadership development, leadership programs, Patterns, Power, Workplace Relationships
Posted in Accountability, Coaching, Communication, Conflict, Education, Ethics, Executive Teams, Integrity, Leaders, Leadership, Marital coaching, Media, PatternAware, Patterns, Team Building, The media, Workplace Relationships | No Comments »
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