Mitten Shaped Flights

  Tipping Point There are many ways to describe how a lot of little things can add up to make a big deal. Historically speaking, the city of Detroit, Michigan, where I have spent a lot of my time as an adult, experienced “white flight” in the 1960s, where white families reached a tipping point and moved to the suburbs when black families moved into predominantly white neighborhoods. But from a career or work perspective, it can be really easy to let small, almost meaningless things cause us to reach out tipping point, or snap. “Emotional intelligence (EI) is a convenient phrase with which to focus attention on the underlying emotional components of human talent” ( Boyatzis , 2006, p. 124).  As I continue to learn and grow more into the leader I know I can be, EI continues to be at the forefront of many discussion I have with people. Most recently, I experienced a tipping point at work where I was frustrated with the lack of effort by our legal team in getting back to me wi...

  Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence (EI) is used through four dimensions, which can help, or hinder career performance. The four EI dimensions are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and social skills. There isn’t a day that goes by in which I’m not using one of these dimensions, because they’re so intertwined with everything else in my life. “Emotional intelligence enables leaders to deal with their own internal responses, moods, and states of mind” (McKee, et al, 2008, p. 26).  I must use self-awareness from a foundational perspective. Self-awareness allows us to understand how we’re being viewed by ourselves. If I wasn’t aware of my actions, how would I know what I’m doing, acting, and saying? Self-awareness can give you a realistic evaluation of what you can do with your skills. Self-management is where we put ourselves ahead of everything else. If one morning I wake up and decided that I stopped caring about what I wanted to learn, or be open ...

  Me, a Resonant Leader? Part of the human experience is to learn about history. In order to better understanding where we are going, we should first learn how we got to where we are today. In this learning we find ourselves making assumptions on everything. We make assumptions that it may, or may not rain, that we have enough gas in our cars to get to work, and that people will behave in certain ways. The behavior I’m talking about is the assumption by many of what makes a great leader. Some might believe a great leader should operate in a traditional top-down approach in which they make all the decisions, and rule with authority to get the job done. But great leaders aren’t simply found in that kind of environment. Instead, great leaders can be quiet, compassionate, and inspiring, all while still getting the job done. “Research in the areas of psychology, neuroscience, management, and organizational behavior has helped us draw several conclusions about what people can do to enh...

  Great Leadership Exercise I recently took part in an exercise by Dr. Richard Boyatzis in which he asked his audience to complete two side-by-side lists for comparison of two leaders we previously knew or worked for. The first leader was to be someone we’d jump at the chance to work for again. This person should be an individual that we’re drawn to and want to be around. The second leader was someone we gravitate away from, because of how poorly they manage, and lead. To the point made by Boyatzis, it is very easy to see what makes up “great leadership”. It isn’t difficult to understand why I, or someone else would want to either be around a leader or move away from them as fast as possible. Let’s take a look at what I’m talking about below. Words That Describe My Leader Comparisons Good leader                               ...