Self-Improvement
Breaking the Mental Logjam: The Power of Joy
Blog Post – The View from the Treehouse
It’s been quiet up here in the treehouse, at least outwardly. While I often sit among its calming branches, it’s been hard in the past few months to find pearls of wisdom to rise above the current political and cultural insanity. Down on the ground, I’ve focused my work on dealing with uncertainty in everything from clogged communication channels to cancer diagnoses…
Hitting the Re-Set button—Five Steps to Overcome Inertia
Blog Post – The View from the Treehouse
With holidays come interesting dynamics. Many years ago, I lived in a New York Chelsea neighborhood loft. In the middle of said loft sat a fancy, schmancy, over-the-top Garland range. Why we had such an elaborate stove is beyond me. As proper Manhattanites, we almost always ate out, but the ostentatious stove provided a trendy centerpiece…
Discovering Your Roots Can Boost Your Growth
Blog Post – The View from the Treehouse
The popular PBS program, “Finding Your Roots,” brought home, literally and figuratively, how familial roots run deep, offering insights from distant times and places. With his calm presence, the host, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., mesmerized his guests as he slowly unfolded the many layers of his research into their family histories. Uncovering unknown ethnicities, surprising vocations, or even family scandals afforded them unexpected insights into their present-day perceptions, behaviors, and choices…
A Love Supreme: The Day I Rediscovered Jazz, Cooking, and Rebooting
Blog Post – The View from the Treehouse
It hit me when I heard the news about the discovery of a lost John Coltrane recording. The seven cut recording preceded by two years his 1965 album, “A Love Supreme,” that secured his reputation as a jazz giant. When I read the article about the discovery, something clicked, something that was long overdue…
Can the “Real Me” Lead and Succeed? – Part 1
Blog Post – The View from the Treehouse
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” The ever-quotable Oscar Wilde gives what seems like obvious advice. However, for many leaders that’s easier said than done. It is not that they don’t want to be themselves. It’s just that being oneself is . . . well, complicated. Somehow it does not always square easily with what executives believe they are supposed to project to succeed as leaders…
Can the “Real Me” Succeed to Lead? – Part 2
Blog Post – The View from the Treehouse
As described in Part 1 of this blog, executives often struggle with how to be their “real” selves and still succeed as leaders. Images of perfect, self-confident behavior get confused with the actual meaning of executive presence. Executives who succeed come across to their constituents as “real” people who have lived and learned from life. As leaders, they pursue the new, take chances with ideas and behaviors, and gain wisdom from their mistakes…
Fighting Fear of the Unknown: 4 Steps to Navigate the New
Article – SWAAY
We are all originals. Each of us travels with our own life story, values and dreams for the future. We start forming these from the moment we enter this world and build on them as life experiences influence our hearts and minds…
Lack of Time Is Good for You
Article – The ZWEIG Letter
Time limits tighten focus, propel you over challenging hurdles, and maximize your chances of success…
Don’t Let Fear Stall Your Career – Four Don’ts and What to Do About Them
Article – Ms. Career Girl
A fashionably dressed woman glides into my office, a tall cup of steaming java in her hand. She settles down into the chair across from me, ready to discuss the state of her career. She has worked hard to succeed in her current job, giving her a sense of both pride and satisfaction…
The Journey of the Unknown
Article – Reaching the Finish Line
Uncertainty is troubling for many people. What to do among it can be the determiner of who survives…
