The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Harry and David gift boxes. Starbucks gift cards. Fruitcake. 
Membership in the Jelly of the Month club (it is the gift that keeps on giving, after all!). This is the season of giving, and we often give gifts as a token of our appreciation. While these are all nice, I want to offer some suggestions from Tim Sanders, author of one of my favorite business book, Love is the Killer App. Read more...
Giving Thanks in the Neighborhood
“Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think
of the people who have helped you become who you are? Those who have cared about you and wanted what was best for you in life…
Whoever you have been thinking about, how pleased they must be to know the difference you feel they have made.” Read more...
A Third Way
I am not usually drawn into the fray of what’s happening in Washington, but I have to admit a certain level of frustration and disheartening in the wake of the government shutdown. According to October’s Washington Post-ABC News poll, I am not alone. 85% of Americans disapprove of the way congress is doing its job. Read more...
Desirable Difficulties
Challenge leads to growth. If you’ve been associated with The Leaders Lyceum for long, you know this as the core of our approach to fueling growth in perspective, readiness and capacity to be more effective. We believe that we don’t grow when times are easy but rather when we are challenged. Read more...
Front and Center
We believe in “Developing the Whole Person.” We believe that each of us is the same person both inside and outside of work, and therefore we can’t fully develop ourselves as leaders without taking the entirety of life into consideration.
Over the past few weeks we’ve shared with you the story of Jason, a leader who decided his life legacy was “To positively impact the lives of others through giving and growing.” Read more...
Pave the Way
What would it take for a leader to feel pride when an employee resigns? It would take a leader who had decided to be intentional about living out his legacy, which then inspired one of his employees to do the same. We made the claim last week that unexpected things can happen when someone lives out their legacy, and a “Lyceum casualty” could be one of those things. Read more...
Why Wait?
Legacy. It’s a word that conjures up awards, accolades and even…obituaries. It’s used most often when talking about what is passed on from someone who is no longer with us. But what if, instead of waiting for someone else to decide your legacy, you had the power to determine now what you wanted your legacy to be? Read more...
What’s Your Story?
From an early age, we love to hear stories—
whether it’s the prince saving the princess or the father who has helped his disabled son run over 1,000 races including 31 Boston Marathons and 6 Ironman triathlons (watch their inspiring story here—the email they read at the end is especially relevant). Read more...
Naime & Nemo
I’m pretty sure being the child of a psychologist makes for a challenging upbringing at times. My rising college freshman and I heard another psychologist dad make this point at college orientation and I heard my son say under his breath, “You’ve got that right.” The problem lies in my tendency to over-explain the theory behind an issue when what they really need is for me to meet them where they are, at their level, and not explain it from my own. Read more...
Who’s Driving?
As leaders, our plates are full. We are all, at some level, evaluated and rewarded based on performance, which is often tied to results, bottom-lines, or project deliverables. With all of these important responsibilities to keep us occupied, who has the time or energy to add personal growth and development to the to-do list? Read more...
The Winner is…
Working in the field of personal growth does not excuse me from my own growing pains. I recently learned an ironic and somewhat costly personal growth lesson that reinforced this fact.
I attended a conference on collaboration and innovation with Sean Simons, my colleague at The Leaders Lyceum. One of my goals for the conference was to discover how this specific innovation process could be leveraged for personal growth for our clients. Read more...
The Art of Leadership
When you go to an art museum, what are you hoping to see? If you’re like me, 
you go to see the creativity and beauty that results from the vision of a master—someone who is able to see the world in a unique way and to express that vision to others. Read more...
Upgrades are a Way of Life
If you’re plugged in these days, you know that our computers and smartphones contain various operating systems—basically a structure to run the specific programs we use. As you’ve probably experienced (perhaps with much frustration), when apps and programs get too complicated to handle, the operating system performs inefficiently and can ultimately crash! Read more...
The Cost of Growth
-Guest blogger, Barb Egan, retiring VP of Finance and Administration at Woodward Academy in Atlanta. Woodward is one of the largest preK-12 independent schools in the US.
This week, we are excited to share with you a story from Barb Egan, a former client decision maker who has become a friend of the Lyceum over the years. Read more...
Leaders, Not Just Readers
Leaders are readers. I’m sure this isn’t a new idea to you. 
The first time I heard it I was thrilled because I love to read. I love having access into the minds of people who are smarter than me, to learn something new, see a new perspective. But something I read this weekend made me question this classic axiom. Read more...
Fail Much? We Do!
We are often told amazing stories of great leaders who are able to achieve the unimaginable—people like Benjamin Franklin, Walt Disney, and Steve Jobs. While these stories are inspirational, it’s easy to write them off as something that is achievable by only the greatest leaders, but probably not me.
In our last newsletter, we challenged you to rethink the way you view failure- not as something to be shunned and avoided, but as something to be embraced as an opportunity for learning and growth (read the article on our blog). Read more...
FAIL: A 4-Letter Word?
No one sets out to fail. Often, we go to great lengths to avoid failure. 
Beginning in our early years through school, sports and performances we learn that our work is evaluated and perfect is the desired outcome. This serves us well in many areas of life, motivating us to work hard and set high standards. Read more...
A Challenge. A Choice.
One simple fact of life: personal growth happens during difficult times. Think back on the events that have shaped your life. Everyone can quickly think of at least one challenging situation that had a significant impact on his or her life. Chances are that it was in some way unavoidable.
Rather than waiting for the next unavoidable challenge to come your way, what if you chose to grow by leveraging a smaller challenge you’re facing right now, one that you possibly could just sweep under the rug? Read more...
Move Your Feet
I just returned refreshed from Spring Break on the beautiful island of 
Hilton Head, SC. Our favorite time on the Island is participating in tennis clinics and learning more about the game our family loves so much. On the first day of the clinic, Job (pronounced Yo-b) my coach from the Netherlands, stressed how important it was to learn to hit the ball in your “target zone” which is the sweet spot where you strike the ball the best. Read more...
Growing Up Bulldog
The Leaders Lyceum is #4 in Bulldog 100!
What happens when real needs meet real impact within organizations, teams 
and people? Growth happens! Our quest to accelerate growth for our client partners has also resulted in growth for The Leaders Lyceum.
Each year, the UGA Alumni Association recognizes the fastest growing businesses owned by alumni from The University of Georgia known as the “Bulldog 100” list. Read more...
Not the Same Old Routine
Recently, I joined the gym again. I made a moderate attempt to work out a few days a week when my schedule allowed, and was shocked when a month later I hadn’t lost a single pound. Apparently the 30 minutes on the Stairmaster that used to keep me in shape wasn’t cutting it anymore and it was time for something different. Read more...
Baby Steps
Just like we can’t will ourselves to instantly lose 10 pounds and be able to run a marathon tomorrow, we can’t will ourselves to become the mature, effective leaders we want to be overnight. Getting in shape (both physically and developmentally) is a process, demanding we get off the couch and start the journey. Read more...
Time to Get Fit!
Reality at some point catches up with us all. Our favorite jeans no longer fit. We can wiggle and jump and twist to get into them, but it’s probably not a sight the world needs to see. Rather than surrendering to our decreasing metabolism, a reality check like this can serve as a catalyst for action. Read more...
UP to Date
Welcome to Elevate, the email newsletter and blog from The Leaders Lyceum. 
Our desire is to continue to serve the developmental growth of others, both those who have been through one of our Lyceum experiences before as well as those who have yet to join us! You are receiving this email because you’ve experienced growth with us individually or through your generous organization. Read more...
