I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do.  That is character!             —- Theodore Roosevelt Action Plan:  When did it happen that ethics, and doing the right thing, became negotiable?   When did we start admiring businesses and business leaders who didn’t do the right thing, yet made tons of money?  Has earning lots of money now become the new “doing the right thing?” This week I urge you to take a look at how your work behavior is consistent (or inconsistent) with ethical principles.   Do you live and espouse one set of ethical beliefs in your personal life, only to have to put them aside when you enter the workplace?  Do you constantly find... [Read more]

You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.                                     — Rosalyn Carter This week’s action plan:  It’s easy to believe in yourself, when everyone around you believes in you as well.  But how often is this the case?  Sometimes the people around us are looking to poke holes in our theories, subvert our decisions, and undermine authority.  How easy it is then to question our abilities. Put a system into place today, so that you have the support you will need tomorrow.  Whether it’s a pep talk that you can give yourself, a series of affirmations for you to read every day, a visualization process where you can see yourself in... [Read more]

A resolution by any other name would be. . . a goal!  Put a plan behind the goal, and you are well on your way to achieving it. Did you make a list of resolutions/goals?  Did you also make a plan to get you started achieving those things? Here’s my list of resolutions for 2007: Be a better person a year from now than I am today.  (I know, I make this one every year, but shouldn’t we all?) Provide meaningful blog posts for my readers.  (What do you want to learn, what paths to you want to travel, how can we best do that learning from one another?) Be a good citizen of the blog community.  (Comment regularly, respond promptly to those leaving comments for me, answer emails timely.) Take risks.  (In many aspects of my life I’ve... [Read more]

Happy New Year and a very big welcome to 2007! I wish you much success, both personal and business, in the coming year, and hope that you’ll make reading Leadership Turn a part of your day. Photo credit:  flickr ________________________________________________________ [Read more]

The close of a year is always a time for reflection and goal setting.  It’s like the end of a chapter in a book — the story isn’t over, it’s just time to move on to the next adventure. Like most of my readers, I’ve had a year of some successes: I’ve become a blogger, writing here at Leadership Turn as well as at Flyaway Cafe (my first foray into this medium) and The Seattle Traveler (all about my beloved home city). I’ve made new friends, strenghtened existing relationships, and relinquished those relationships that were toxic. I’ve grown and learned and changed — which I think is the ultimate success in life. I’ll be setting personal goals as well as goals for this blog over the... [Read more]