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The Disturbing Truth about “Just Being Authentic”

This is for those of you who take great pride in expressing your thoughts and opinions freely with others. Have you ever been so blunt that the person you’re talking to stares back at you in uncomfortable silence? Or perhaps you value “telling it like it is” but then you edge on being offensive at times? If you’ve ever felt compelled to follow-up your authentic behavioral expression with, “What?! I’m just being authentic!” then please keep reading this. It’s time to stop an

How to Avoid Unloading Your Truth: 4 Reflective Prompts for Mindful Leadership Voice

“Some things are better left unsaid.” “The truth will set you free.” When you think about your approach to authentic voice and mindful leadership, which of these quotes resonates with you with most? If you find yourself wavering, or in the middle, that may be because there is an element of truth in both of these statements. However, striking a balance between voice and truth is no easy feat, and often we have an inclination to withhold or liberate our truth more than the desi

Mindful Principles that Ignite the Creative Process in Organizations

As our world becomes more interconnected and complex, so do our problems. Uncertainty threatens organizational stability, and straight paths to solutions are nowhere in sight. So, what is needed for organizations to adapt and thrive in the unknown? A 2010 IBM Global CEO study of 1,500 leaders suggests that creativity is at the heart of generating new social realities. While this idea may not seem revolutionary, engaging in innovation is risky and renders you vulnerable, espec

Examples from Toxic, Authentic, and Servant Leaders: What Motivates YOU to Lead?

When you think of leaders you know, do you think of their power and motivation underlying what they do? How leaders execute power differs, and how they are motivated differs. There are those who are motivated to exert power for power’s sake. Those individuals are likely toxic leaders. However, individuals who use their power for good, are motivated to follow their values, and who strive to uniquely brand and positively impact their organizations are considered authentic leade

The Courage It Takes to Speak Up

I uncovered a very powerful and quite destructive pattern of mine when it comes to relationships. The more I have shared my revelation of this pattern with my friends, the more I hear how they, too, relate to it. The pattern goes a little something like this: I’m conversing with a friend, family member, coworker or romantic partner. Something is said which surfaces something that’s hard for me to own and share with this person. I withhold the truth and the truth goes unspoken

The Wisdom in Resistance

Moments in our lives when we are humbled by struggle are often the most memorable teachers. Unfortunately, these teachers tend to arrive at inopportune times, but I find that the wisdom they offer is always what I need to learn. It seems, a few weeks ago, I was due for a lesson. I was facilitating a pilot training program for professionals on bringing mindfulness to their organizations. My co-facilitator and I had spent countless hours developing the content material, recruit

Discover Your Authentic, Core Values with this Five-Step Process

In your daily life, do you: Sense that you could be happier? Regularly complain? Feel exhausted or overtaken with busyness or stress? Feel like you’re not in charge of yourself? Feel like you’d rather be doing something else? If you said “yes” to two or more of the above questions, then it’s time for a change. You’re probably not living in a way that honors your core values. In the book Start with Why, Simon Sinek encourages business people to think with their gut, to use the

Body Awareness: Awakening Mindfulness in Your Leadership Practice

Author’s Note/Acknowledgment: In addition to the specific research hyperlinked below, I could not have written this piece without the insight and accompaniment of three body-wise women: Lori Ann Arsenault, TRE trainer and facilitator; Carol Martin, spiritual director; and Terri Monroe, faculty and mentor. My current learning centers around one, sometimes embarrassing, revelation: most of the time, I have no idea what is going on in my physical body. Walking around with what s

Practicing the Figure 8: Transforming Leadership Interventions

I often find that I hold back when it comes to sharing my leadership reflections. It may appear to some that I exercise leadership actions and inquiry with ease; however, often I am only relaying half my message. In the past, I was burnt by offering my voice, particularly when individuals or groups were not ready to digest the message that I was offering. I took away from these interactions the belief that I needed to calm the flame inside of me. I believed that I was too pas

Reviving the Heart of Your Leadership: Two Ways Mindfulness Can Create More Compassionate Leaders.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” -Prayer of St. Francis Assisi As a child, how often were you asked the age-old question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Adults probably encouraged your aspirations when you replied with the usual suspects: doctor, artist, astronaut, professional athlete. As a teenager heading off to college, I remember feeling the pangs of uncertainty while trying to answer this question, yet I also had a sense of urgency to resolve it.