I wrote this in 2016, before I was scheduled for surgery #4 on my ankle; a complete reconstruction of the joint. I believe it is relevant today as we face a new year, at a time when many of us have been suffering with great challenges.

All my life, even though I think I’ve been a pretty happy person, I’ve had an underlying focus on the things that I don’t have and the things that I can’t do….

Does this sound familiar?

We want to deliver exceptional results. Exceptional results are good, but over-functioning means that we do not trust others to do their part. Over-functioning inadvertently exacerbates anxiety for us and leads to a feeling of isolation and possible burnout. We may feel constantly overwhelmed and stressed from the weight we feel is on our shoulders.

Because we are all wired for connection, this armour gets in the way of the best kinds of team collaboration. Calm is a million miles away when we feel this kind of pressure.

Social media is full of memes of one-sided true quotes that create polarity. What is lost in the brevity of many memes, however, is that often there is more than one truth.

We tend to embrace an “either, or” way of thinking. I’ve come to realize that rarely is one situation all bad or all good.

September has a unique vibe. There are some powerful tensions to acknowledge.

What do we need in our leadership tool belts to navigate this September with the greatest opportunity for success?

How do we stay clear-minded so that we can stay effective?

Read further to engage with useful tools and questions that will help you navigate this September!

We collectively struggle when our sense of order feels, well, disorderly. Uncertainty can feel scary and can undermine our confidence, causing lack of action on our own behalf.

Many of us approach our internal conversation when there is disorder in our world with degree of distain or even loathing. I’d like to propose an alternative….

Asking for help is vulnerable, courageous and helps us grow into better, more connected versions of ourselves. Vulnerability is an essential ingredient for problem solving, innovation, connection and belonging. Isn’t that the kind of workplace you want to cultivate?

What have you done to discover play in this season of life? Does play need to look different for you in this season than it did before?

It is time to rediscover play. It doesn’t need to be expensive. It doesn’t need to be organized. It can be solitary or social.

Set aside platitudes, memes or cliches; sustainable leadership requires the determination to master oneself. Is not for the faint of heart.

It takes grit, contemplation, and personal responsibility.

When you do the work to get real about the internal conversation you’re having AND offer the most generous interpretation possible to the intentions, words and actions of others, that’s when you will be working from a sustainable place.

Growing trusting relationships does not mean that we ignore challenges, it means that we explore ways to address questions, rather than jumping to our own conclusions or blame.

So often when we experience distrust, we think that the relationship is is fractured, broken and not salvageable.

What if we could polish one side of the relationship diamond and make it beautiful again?

People in authority positions and helping professions have a new starting point with their clients and, as a result, must increase their capacity to build trust.

Growing trust, especially for leaders and helping professionals, is a workplace competency that requires your time and attention.

At this unprecedented time, to cope with the volatility, finding a skillset that is a wellspring for hope will help us cope with change that may feel hopeless. Leaders who level up their leadership effectiveness will find that they are able to manage current demands for business performance. How will you do this?

Who is in charge, the Thinker or the thought? When you make the conscious choice to breathe, your mind has control of your brain. Adding the power of breath to your day unleashes your whole brain!

Each of us have a supply of energy. Some have learned how recharge continually, regenerating energy. Some of us are depleted beyond measure and the load of going up one more hill feels like it’s more than we can do.

Connection is not a want, it’s a need.

Understanding connection, what fuels connection and what drives disconnection with others is an important part of our self-care skillset.

There are many people who attach the word coach to their profession; from people who sell supplements to people who are consultants and offer great advise. The term “Coach" is unregulated which leads to confusion for consumers, like you.

I’d like to help you understand some basic and important points of hiring a professional coach.

Without a conversation, problems aren't solved. We try to eat issues and the problems get stickier as they get lodged in our throats. In the end, there is usually more pain and the energy drain leaves hard feelings.

Hurt builds, blame grows and unforgiveness festers.

The best news is that adversity is where we learn how to flex our hopefulness muscles. That’s right! The struggles we are facing right now may, in days to come, help us realize that we can get through another challenge. Hope is a thinking process that we access when we are faced with a challenge. This thinking process can be learned. Once you have trained your brain, it is a superpower that has amazing benefits including resilience, courage, relationship and reduction of perfectionism, anxiety and fear.

We are heading into the darkest part of the year.

Today, December 14, in Central Alberta, the sun rose at 8:38 and set at 4:22. That’s a short day! Depending on your workday, you may not experience any daylight at all! Our bodies do not get a lot of the “feel good” hormones that we need to stay emotionally resilient.

Connection is the ingredient we are all hungry for, especially in the deep, dark, second Covid Christmas of our lives.  

We misunderstood connection before Covid, and many of us are misunderstanding it today.  Connection is the gift of feeling and helping someone else feel SEEN, HEARD and UNDERSTOOD. 

Through this pandemic, we have all been white knuckling our way through one wild ride. When pivoting through the fluid experience of changing procedures, letting go of idealistic expectations is part of how we survive. “Good enough” becomes good enough. What does good enough look like for you or your situation? Can you let go of one thing and still be ok?