Tom is dreaming of a new truck… a fancy new 2022 GMC Sierra Denali with automatic side steps, multi-pro tailgate, heated seats, Bose sound system, and a big 3L Diesel engine—a far cry from his old 2005 Ford F350. And though he’s not quite ready to make the leap, he’s thinking so much about it that, of course, he sees …
The Code of the West
By now, most of you know that I am a proud native Texan which means I have a strong affinity for anything to do with cowboys—art, history, ranching, rodeos, music, poetry, jewelry, and just Western culture in general. Because of this, I’ve known about the Code of the West for a long time but was recently reminded of it by …
Build It and They Will Come
One of the most famous movie lines in history is “Build it, and they will come” from the movie, Field of Dreams. The actual line is “Build it and he will come” which refers to the character, Ray and his deceased father, an avid baseball fan. Regardless, the sentiment is that to attract what or who we want, we must …
An Army of Champions
I recently watched a keynote address by master storyteller, Kindra Hall. In it, she related that her company, Stellar Collective, had interviewed thousands of employees in hundreds of companies and asked these questions: Do you know the story of how this company was started and why? Do you know what challenges or setbacks this company has faced and conquered? Do …
Tell the Truth Mondays
As happens every year at this time, Monday night dinners at our house are eaten with Monday Night Football in the background. It’s a concession I make to my husband in return for all the times he attended art fairs and watched chick flicks without complaint. Last Monday, watching the Las Vegas Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens, I noticed the …
Supervision or Coaching?
One day a man walked by a cocoon and noticed a tightly wound butterfly within it, struggling to emerge. As it hung vertically from a branch, he noticed a small hole at the bottom through which the butterfly would have to squeeze to make its way out into the world. Given the size of the butterfly, the man was convinced …
Feedback for the Future
My friend and colleague, Dino Watt, recently wrote an excellent blog about the difference between feedback and criticism. In it, he mentioned that feedback focuses on outcomes and the future, builds strengths, inspires change, and communicates that the future looks bright. Criticism, on the other hand, focuses on what we don’t want rather than what we do want. It harps …
If I Had As Much Sense As a Goose…
As we approach the final weeks of 2020, I’m reminded of the feeling a few years ago when Tom and I were cycling with his friend, an experienced cyclist, Terry. It was a cold, gloomy morning, and I had not slept well the previous two nights. I was enjoying the outing but struggling to stay with my “pack.” The biggest problem was …
Keep the Vision. Change the Plan.
I’m writing to you from my underground bunker, typing on my sterilized keyboard, looking through my blue spectrum glasses at the screen that has represented my view of the world for the last two months. Okay, it’s not actually quite like that (though it has felt that way at times). We’re all resurfacing, or about to resurface, back into the world. And …
Water Weight
As our lead Lioness, Katherine Eitel Belt, moves into a new home this week, we decided to reach back in our archives and repost a Monday Morning Stretch which we hope you will find helpful during these current challenging times. The health and productivity of teams, whether professional, personal, or community-based, is commensurate with the health and productivity of …
