Posted by: Nancy Raulston on: May 2, 2011
Often, by the time a company calls me in, the individuals needing help have been having the same unsatisfying conversation over and over and over. Regardless of what topic they try to talk about, soon they find themselves airing the same old complaints, even using the same terms in the same voices. It’s very obvious [...]
Posted by: Nancy Raulston on: April 5, 2011
Are you a “to do” list person? Do you feel better once you have a plan and a timeline and a set of “deliverables”? Many of us do. Business, in general, is biased towards having and managing against a plan. Certainly, in order to align a team or a company, it is important to have [...]
Posted by: Nancy Raulston on: March 8, 2011
There has been much written about the difference between “managers” and “leaders”. In my experience, it comes down to one big difference — management is about “doing” while leadership is about “being”. You can learn management skills — giving feedback, running meetings, managing accountability. Once you learn the skills and practice for while, you can [...]
Posted by: Nancy Raulston on: February 28, 2011
A friend told me that if you poke an amoeba with a pin it will immediately freeze, stop moving. When the danger seems to have past, it will begin moving again. But if you poke it continually it will eventually stop moving altogether and die off. OK, I would hope we are all “smarter” than [...]
Posted by: Nancy Raulston on: January 14, 2011
I find it really interesting to watch other people have conflict. Regardless of what the goal of the discussion is, as soon as there is a difference of opinion I can see many of them move into “I have to win!” People who have studied conflict have identified several styles. Although “dominate” is a legitimate [...]
Posted by: Nancy Raulston on: January 3, 2011
As the old year ends and a new year begins, I often ask my clients “what do you want to have be different in the coming year?” This year many of my clients said, “I want to be at peace”. As I pushed a little, they said they wanted to “not worry” or to “not [...]
Posted by: Nancy Raulston on: September 13, 2010
I was working with a client last week — a VERY successful leader. Along with her success, however, comes stress and tension and (lately) health issues. I asked her, “How much of your time do you spend “forcing” things — trying to push or control or resist or dictate what needs to happen?” Of course, [...]
Posted by: Nancy Raulston on: July 13, 2010
“It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more ‘manhood’to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and the spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind” — Alex Karras The world of Venture Capital and [...]
Posted by: Nancy Raulston on: June 28, 2010
In a book I was reading this weekend, the author described someone as “fleeing the pain of powerlessness… taking flight to the illusion of dominance”. It made me think about how often I see clients taking flight — to the illusion of strength, Or control. Or not needing help. Or knowing all the answers. It [...]
Posted by: Nancy Raulston on: April 14, 2010
I hope you have had an experience where the group you are in catches fire — ideas are bouncing off the walls and everyone is enthusiastic and you all have unlimited amounts of confidence and energy moving forward. I’m afraid more and more I see the opposite — organizations that are afraid. A friend and [...]
