Eat Only Elk

Circa 2017, this personal talk explores the role belief systems play when it comes to effective, impactful, flourishing leadership.

Writing

Follow along on Medium.

Building a Relationship with Change

On working with change as an expression of your full aliveness.

Navigating Life's Transitions

What actually happens in the process of transition? What do we need to know to make the most of them?

At the End of the Year: 2021 Reflection Guide

Taking stock at the winter/summer solstice: a perfect time to pause, reflect, and connect with the person you are becoming.

Storytelling in Organizations

On complexity, systems, and storytelling.

The Art of Receiving Feedback

Receiving feedback can be scary, but it doesn't have to be.

Creating the Right Space for Feedback

What happens outside the conversation is just as important as what happens in it.

Coaching, Mentoring, Advising: What's the Diff?

This is a common question from potential clients, so I wrote up what I usually tell people.

Managing Yourself and Managing Relationships: The Key to Management Success

Emotional intelligence will take you a long ways. Learn to cultivate thie early in your career.

Both/And: Untangling the Relationship Between Management & Leadership

Mangement and leadership - are they the same or different? Yes.

Priorities, Capacity, and Support: A Dialogue for Teams

My contribution to the early pandemic writings in the genre of, 'oh shit it's a global pandemic, what do we do?' This article explores the role of asking the right questions to facilitate collective support.

The Cadence of a Design Team

I'm a big believer in how cadence can support high-performance teams in maintaining alignment and flow.

Recommended Reading

A list of books for leaders and seekers. Please note that the links below are affiliate links. Any proceeds generated will be donated to The Association of Ramaytush Ohlone.

  • The Heart Aroused
  • David Whyte
  • What happens when you invite a poet's keen sense of observation into the corporate world? A poetic and unflinching look at the ways in which the business world forces our soul underground, and how we can reclaim it. Particularly poignant for Beowful aficionados.
  • link

  • Radically Condensed Instructions for Being Just as You Are
  • J Matthews
  • An incredibly straightforward and short intro to non-duality. The basic premise reminds us that all we are in each moment is the sum total of our experience. The writing is conversational, clear, and insightful with moments of bright humor. In times of stress, I find this book incredibly comforting.
  • link

  • The Fifth Discipline
  • Peter M. Senge
  • The biggest threat facing companies today isn't innovation or competition, it's their inability to learn. Using a systems approach, Senge identies 5 core disciplines that learning organizations must embrace. Every year or so I re-read Chapter 8: Personal Mastery to be reminded to approach life as a creative work.
  • link

  • Leadership Embodiment
  • Wendy Palmer & Janet Crawford
  • How we sit and stand can change the way we speak and think. What is it to be embodied, and how can leaders use embodiment to be more effective? Palmer and Crawford have the answers. Includes illustrated embodiment practices as well asn an look at the neuroscience of embodiment.
  • link

  • Difficult Conversations
  • Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen
  • Not to be confused with the book 'Crucial Conversations', this is one of the best books I've read when it comes to hard conversations. The core conceit - that 'truth' is subjective and multiple - will save you hours of arguing and help you get to aligned resolutions.
  • link

  • The Art of Possibility
  • Rosamund & Benjamin Zander
  • Rosamund and Benjamin Zander emphasize the importance of play and show us how we trap ourselves in negative thinking. With heart warming stories of amatuer and professional musicians, this book is a beautiful invitation into possibilities and new horizons.
  • link

  • Let Your Life Speak
  • Parker J Palmer
  • Parker Palmer invites us into the deepest, most meaningful questions. Questions that are beyond our own self-hood and wants, questions that open us to what is calling, to how life wants to make meaning through us, to what life wants us to be.
  • link

  • Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes
  • William Bridges and Susan Bridges
  • Life transitions are unavoidable, so why not get to know them more intimately? This book is a wonderful companion to navigating the depths of what life asks for us in the midst of transition, with relevant stories, helpful models, and buckets of compassion.
  • link

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