Our best team members -- regardless of skills, intelligence, or motivations -- often end up in the weeds (or headed that way). The best leaders I know are masters at Weed Mitigation. What do those wise leaders do to help us all stay out of the weeds? Here are some...
Nelson Coulter
Making Thinking Visible
I recently read The Power of Making Thinking Visible: Practices to Engage and Empower All Learners by Ron Ritchhart and Mark Church (2020). This book is a follow-up to one printed about 10 years prior by Ritchhart, et al. The authors assert that Making Thinking...
Change Less
I don't run as fast as I used to. I have to drive a little slower at night these days. I allow a bit of extra time for almost any kind of activity. Both my hearing and eyesight are waning. Too many of my friends/family are dying off. And some of my former students and...
Unprepared
Many of us have landed in leadership roles for which we were completely UNprepared. In some cases, we may have even started out completely incompetent. The response we make/made to that circumstance makes all the difference in world. The wisest folks take the...
Us/Them
The labels: Cowboys, City Slickers, Rednecks, Yankees, Hillbillies, Cajuns, Straight, Gay, Bi, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Conservatives, Liberals, Moderates, ........... On and on it goes. The promulgation of labels...
Question Power
When we ask impactful questions, we send some very powerful messages. Well-phrased questions can and should signal to others that we... Value what they know. Are genuinely curious and want to learn more. Respect the need for various viewpoints/perspectives. Desire...
DepLeadtership
Leaders burn out, a LOT. We cannot do great good for others if we do not take care of ourselves. If we deplete ourselves, we and many that depend on us pay a price. Just as we are responsible for the health and wellbeing of our stakeholders -- internal and external --...
LeadershipVulnerability
Two of the hallmarks of exemplary leadership are Vulnerability and Transparency.Being Vulnerable as leaders does not make us "wobbly" (to channel Margaret Thatcher). On the contrary, it positions us to more authentically engage with both our internal and external...
WhoBe
Author: Nelson CoulterWho we choose to BE is far more important than what we choose to do, and orders of magnitude more important than what we say.How do we go about choosing who we want to BE?An impactful guiding question: How will my existence on the planet make it...
