Reflecting on the recent election, the Harris campaign's lack of a clear and compelling vision became evident in contrast to Trump’s well-communicated stance, making it challenging for voters to see her future for America. Drawing from the change formula, a successful campaign requires acknowledging dissatisfaction, defining a visionary goal, and setting clear steps toward achieving it—elements that were more apparent in Obama’s 2008 campaign, where “hope and change” aligned with voters' aspirations and activated widespread engagement. Ultimately, the Harris campaign's struggles highlight the need for leaders to craft a vision that resonates powerfully and unites people around a shared purpose, as fear alone can often overshadow hope if it lacks sufficient clarity and preparation.
As Election Day 2024 nears, reflecting on Abraham Lincoln’s legacy offers valuable insights into adaptive leadership, resilience, and unity. Known for his humility, conviction, and strategic flexibility, Lincoln showed how true leaders use disruptions to inspire lasting change. This election, we can look to Lincoln’s example of courage and empathy, guiding us to face challenges boldly and strive for a united future.
Conflict at work is inevitable, but with the right tools, it can become an opportunity for growth. In this post we explore how leaders can guide teams through conflict by understanding how the brain processes emotions through the downstairs, middle room, and upstairs functions of the brain.
Belief-behavior conversations, as we discussed in our e-book: Revitalize and Retain Staff, aim to address the root causes behind actions, rather than merely correcting surface-level behavior. Pixar’s leadership used this approach to facilitate open, meaningful dialogues, helping the team uncover the underlying beliefs fueling their actions. Once these beliefs were identified, leaders guided team members toward reframing them, creating lasting behavioral change.
Discover how LinkedIn transformed employee growth and retention with the Leadership Growth Lattice, a modern alternative to traditional career ladders. By encouraging skill development, cross-functional teamwork, mentorship, volunteerism, and alignment with personal life goals, LinkedIn fostered a culture of continuous learning and flexibility. This holistic approach empowered employees, reduced turnover, and fueled innovation, positioning LinkedIn as a top employer in the competitive tech industry.
Understanding the emotional journey of change can help individuals and communities navigate transitions more effectively. By recognizing and addressing the various stages of grief, from shock and denial to acceptance and integration, we can foster resilience, promote collaboration, and ultimately thrive in times of change.
We must be change agents. If change will already happen constantly, we must work as community leaders to guide that change for the better. We will spend some time over the next few weeks diving deep into change so that we can better understand, with fanatic discipline and empirical creativity, how we can master change.
When we are called to provide hope, humanity, humility and helpfulness through LEADing. We must first Look around and pay attention finding moments and opportunities to empathize. Empathize by perspective taking, being non judgemental, recognizing emotion, communicating and practicing mindfulness. Acknowledge the truth of the current situation. Decide what actions need to be taken (if any).
The Upside-Down Community Leadership concept envisions leaders at the bottom, serving and uplifting the community members. This inversion reflects a shift from self-centered leadership to a more altruistic and community-centric approach. The core principles of the Upside-Down Community concept align with virtues such as humility, compassion, and service to others. By adopting a servant-leadership mindset, community leaders prioritize the well-being of the community over personal gain. This model encourages leaders to lead by example, demonstrating that true greatness arises from selfless service and a commitment to the collective good.
As communities (both at work and in life) grapple with shifting values and ethics, steering away from a shared sense of humanity, the perilous path of individualism and vested interests looms. This phenomenon of individualism finds its roots in a focus on personal feelings and self-actualization, championed by great minds like Emerson and Thoreau. However, I would argue that in order to find ourselves, we have lost each other. The antidote to strict individualism lies in the love of humanity, a force that transcends self-interest and places communal well-being at its core.
Hope can be a faint glimmer on the distant horizon. It can keep us moving on the journey of community, belonging and love. Hope is a way of thinking - a cognitive process - or as C. R. Snyder called it a trilogy of: goals, pathways and agency.
Yes, hope is also based in emotions and can greatly inspire us to reach the highest heights, however its core is in ‘function.’ We experience hope when we can set realistic goals, when we can stay flexible and develop alternative pathways, and when we believe in ourselves or “agency.”
Community, a term encompassing our town halls, spiritual centers, workplaces, and backyards, holds diverse meanings for different people. It can signify gathering, progress, workplace teams, civic justice, or merely the coming together of a people. Amid these various perspectives, one often overlooked concept stands out as a powerful force capable of transforming communities from the inside out: hospitality.
In the intricate tapestry of human existence, one common thread binds us all – the innate need for belonging. Recent research underscores the significance of finding a sense of belonging within close social relationships and communities for overall well-being. At our core, we are social beings, interdependent on one another for survival, and the ability to belong is a powerful force shaping our lives.
Culture and community are two intertwined concepts that shape the fabric of societies, defining the uniqueness of each group. While culture helps us differentiate societies, community goes beyond mere description, fostering a sense of fellowship among individuals who share common attitudes, interests, and goals within a specific area
