Good. Better. Best.
We pause at this time each year in the United States to celebrate Labor Day. It was first celebrated in New York in 1882 as a tribute to the prosperity and well-being of our country after what was certainly a long summer of agricultural and manufacturing labors. While most of you reading this haven’t worked the field this past summer, we can all use this occasion to reflect on our own personal labors, take stock of how we’ve spent our time and energy over the past year, and to perhaps look ahead to what’s next. Read more...
Busy is the New Fine
You may have noticed that you haven’t heard from us in awhile. We’ve been busy. I’ve been busy. I am always busy. Recently, I read the book More or Less by Jeff Shinabarger and was challenged by his chapter on our use of time, along with the rest of the book. Read more...
Reruns
Do you ever, at times, feel like you’re living a rerun of your life? Do you find yourself learning the same lesson over and over again, in a slightly different way? Hopefully you’re a better student of life than I am, but I’m guessing that I am not alone.
Almost a year ago, I wrote about how I struggled to learn the value of failure as a means to growth through the Design Thinking process (read the original post). Read more...
A Challenge to Lead
I just got off the phone with one of our favorite clients, Stuart Gulley, the president of Woodward Academy (an independent prep-school in Atlanta). He shared a story with me about a challenge he and the whole community faced recently. His story brought tears to my eyes (all be they manly tears) and I wanted to share it with you. Read more...
Gold Stars
Gold stars—small, shiny, colorful symbols of achievement used to motivate children for years. Whether it is for good behavior, completing chores or doing well on an assignment, gold stars are valuable and worth showing off. But what if gold stars weren’t just for children?
As we wrap up the first month of this new year, I’ll admit that I’m working hard to become healthier in 2014. Read more...
Commitments and Confessions
It’s January 8. One week after New Year’s Day. Confession time—how many of you have already broken your New Year’s Resolutions? How many of you knew that you would break it, so you didn’t even bother to make one? Research shows that of the 45% of Americans that make resolutions:
- 25% give up by the first week (TODAY!)
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
