“Anyone who is so certain has got to be wrong,” my daughter’s father said upon her birth. You see, I was certain she was going to be a boy. In my mind I had collected enough evidence that to me at the time made it certain. “Certainty” by definition means without...

It can be tricky - innovation and leading edge performance require both conflict and alignment. In The Innovation Code, Jeff DeGraff states, “…it’s our impulse to resolve or eliminate conflict, in the world of innovation we need to resist that impulse, resist...

I hosted a houseguest from Ukraine. Yuti was young and loved camping. As he passed through on his cross-country trips he’d stay here to regroup. Each time he arrived he’d tote in his pot filled with an ongoing version of his oxtail soup. He was generous with his...

I throw a punch at my opponent; suddenly I am on the ground, immediately I spiral up to my feet to go for it again. After 27 years of Aikido practice it still sometimes surprises me how a group of people, many over 40, can pummel each other, do literal rolls in the...

I was invited to serve on a Board of Advisors several years ago. After the second meeting, the president shared with me that my participation was causing him to rethink the name of the board.  I had taken my role as advisor seriously and thought he really wanted...

Strength and talent grow with the weight of responsibility just like holding this heavy rock. What happens when you take on the weight of another’s responsibility or things not aligned with your intent? As I work with leaders and teams, this is an important and easy...