February 16, 2023

Francis on Leadership

February 16, 2023

I love Girl Scout Cookies! All these years of purchasing and consuming them I was unaware of the late Francis Hesselbein. Francis was CEO of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. from 1976–1990. During her lifetime she received much recognition for her leadership chops.

February 14, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Kind or Nice

February 14, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Seeing kindness and niceness as contrasting is a bit unsettling. Each are often seen as two sides of the same coin. Nice people are kind. Kind people are nice. This, intuitively, seems the case. Yet the counter intuitive may be in play.

February 9, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Habits of Friendly People

February 9, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Relationships are built on getting to know others. And the lock that opens the door to relationships is friendliness. It is true that some people are naturally friendly. It is also true that anyone can learn to cultivate a friendly approach to others.

February 7, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Disciplined Consistency

February 7, 2023

Phil Stevenson

New Year’s resolutions are the fodder for short-term commitment. People set their designs on some big goals. Whether exercise, diet, spiritual growth, or…fill in the blank. It is kept up for a short time. And most, not all, wane in their well intentioned intentions.

February 2, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Face The Storms

February 2, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Buffalo, or bison, will directly confront storms. “A bison will turn into a snow storm rather than drifting with the wind because they instinctively know that walking into the storm will get them out of the weather quicker.”

January 31, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Leadership Drip

January 31, 2023

Phil Stevenson

I had no idea what “drip.” I looked it up. In my generation a drip was a slow dropping of water from a faucet. Or a person who was a bit of bore. Someone who tended to drag others down with a negative attitude. Turns out I wasn’t even close.

January 26, 2023

Phil Stevenson

How would you Know?

January 26, 2023

Phil Stevenson

We all have blind spots. We have areas of our life that we believe are fine. We cruise along with no indication we have a problem. What we need is a brave, caring person to tell us. We need them to alert us. To provide information and insight we may not have.

January 24, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Six Lessons for Leaders

January 24, 2023

Phil Stevenson

The more things change, the more they stay the same. We live in a fast changing culture. The shifts needed in leadership can appear daunting. However, even in the midst of rapid change, the core of what a leader does has stayed relative consistent.

January 19, 2023

Phil Stevenson

The 'How to Be' Leader

January 19, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Many became very efficient in ‘do it yourself’ productivity. The same can be true of leadership training. It is typically helping potential leaders to know how to do stuff. It is built on competencies. Competencies are indeed important. Yet competencies alone are not enough.

January 17, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Broken, but not Broke

January 17, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Every time I view my watch I am reminded of its brokenness. I see the ‘scar’ of the drop. I become aware of its imperfection. I note the limitation it places on my ability to view the display. But it works. It is a reminder to me that we are all broken. We have ‘scars’ from life.

January 12, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Don't Do Stupid

January 12, 2023

Phil Stevenson

In the book of 2 Peter, chapter three, Peter is writing about some folks who are skewing what others have written. He says, “and there are people who are deliberately stupid…” (15-16). I love that phrase! Deliberately stupid. People choose stupid. It happens more often than we think.

January 10, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Mind the Gaps

January 10, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Not being aware of the gap could cause harm. You could get tripped up. Tripping, at minimum, could cause embarrassment. Injury would be a possible result as well. Bottomline: minding the gap allows you to navigate the entry and exit from the tube.

January 5, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Try Something Different

January 5, 2023

Phil Stevenson

Most people aren’t willing to try. There is that fear of failure. There is a concern we won’t be very good. We hold back wondering what people might say about us. When we are unwilling to try we miss a great deal. We miss opportunity.

January 3, 2023

Phil Stevenson

The No You in the New Year

January 3, 2023

Phil Stevenson

There is an epidemic of people saying yes. You may be impacted by this epidemic. You say yes to way too many things. Someone asks if you can help on a project and you say “yes.” You are asked to attend an event. “Yes.” You are asked to take on more responsibility. “Yes.”

December 29, 2022

Phil Stevenson

Why Bother?

December 29, 2022

Phil Stevenson

This is the time of year that many will determine how they will approach the New Year differently. This is where we plant our good intentions in the soil of a New Year. We make resolutions. We set goals. We tell ourselves this time it will be different. Optimism is the attitude of every New Year.

December 27, 2022

Phil Stevenson

68 and Counting

December 27, 2022

Phil Stevenson

Turning 68, with my retirement from my current role slated for July 2023, I have found myself engaged in a great bit of reflection. I’m not prone to melancholy, but I have to say weird things make me a bit emotional. And I have never been accused of high emotions.

December 22, 2022

Phil Stevenson

Three Keys for Leading Well

December 22, 2022

Phil Stevenson

I have been in some form of leadership for over 50 years. It has been my privilege to watch some incredible leaders in action. I have made enough mistakes to understand failure. I have been bumped and bruised enough to carry the scars of leadership. I have enjoyed the celebration of leadership achievement. I have been changed by those whom I have led.

December 20, 2022

Phil Stevenson

Check the Obvious

December 20, 2022

Phil Stevenson

I knocked over my office reading lamp. I picked it up. Turned it on. No light. I assumed when it hit the floor something jarred loose. I tightened everything I could turn. Still no light. I checked the plug…it could have jiggled loose. Still no light.

December 15, 2022

Phil Stevenson

Realistic Achievement

December 15, 2022

Phil Stevenson

Most ideas begin with enthusiasm. People hear something that grabs their interest. They are ready to jump in and get going. They start off with no intent of ever stopping. Then something happens. Their enthusiasm wanes.

December 13, 2022

Phil Stevenson

Leadership Pipeline

December 13, 2022

Phil Stevenson

Robert Logan, writer and speaker, observed, “If we want to have a healthy, functional pipeline of new leaders being developed we need to put some type of system in place to support that.” The reality is that most don’t develop a system.

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