tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:14:53 +0000The Developing Your Inner Leader Blog explores the development of leaders who build and lead high-performance organizations. When a person leads an organization, there is a goal. Performance is the point. To succeed in a changing business environment, a leader must have a strong, core. Developing Your Inner Leader builds the leader's core, so they can respond effectively to the unexpected and tap into the organization's high-performance human capabilities.http://www.bobbikahler.com/noreply@blogger.com (Bobbi Kahler)Blogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-5337929431907128047Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:00:00 +00002010-02-08T19:14:53.542-06:00"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."Winston ChurchillOn Saturday, I went to watch my nephew, Dylan, compete in a gymnastics tournament. He's only been competing for 13 months now, but he's been doing very well. On Saturday, his first event was the parallel bars. He did well, but made a slight mistake, so he didn't get his usual high score. His second http://www.bobbikahler.com/2010/02/focus-on-whats-next.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-283428855715263138Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:18:00 +00002010-02-01T09:43:11.064-06:00"I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught." ~Winston Churchill<!--PACP-->Several months ago, I witnessed an interaction between two people that exemplifies this statement. Since then I have paid close attention to interactions where one person is attempting to impart some information to the other party. I have come to the conclusion that most of us don't like beinghttp://www.bobbikahler.com/2010/02/helping-others-to-accept-your-wisdom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-5894275840470582626Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:46:00 +00002010-01-25T11:49:26.261-06:00“You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.” Barbara De AngelisBack in December of 2007, I drove through a horrible snowstorm to my parent's house in Missouri. It is normally a 10 hour trip; this time it took closer to 14 hours. I was determined to get there as my mother was very ill and she had an appointment with both her oncologist and another specialist that I was going to http://www.bobbikahler.com/2010/01/its-funny-what-we-regret.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-4107433409365468994Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:03:00 +00002010-01-19T08:31:16.291-06:00"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."-- Marcel ProustLast week, I was listening to the local news station. They have a short segment called "To Your Health." This segment was about how to deal with worry. Essentially, the author of the segment said to have fixed times during the week when you worry and to write down http://www.bobbikahler.com/2010/01/combating-worry.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-6101578682344177157Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:48:00 +00002010-01-11T18:21:21.461-06:00Today I was preparing for an upcoming webinar where I am helping managers turn the latent potential of their teams into higher levels of performance. In doing some research for my presentation, I came across something I wrote for grad school. I wrote that leaders must create an environment where it is safe to try out new behaviors. If there is no safety, there is no development. People will http://www.bobbikahler.com/2010/01/allowing-ourselves-to-hit-wrong-notes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-3596514461019186818Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:10:00 +00002009-11-25T11:34:51.343-06:00As you know, we have five cats. One of our cats, Scout, was diagnosed earlier in the year with a very aggressive form of lymphoma. We decided that, as long as she wasn't in pain or suffering, we would pursue treatment. She has gone through chemotherapy and came through with flying colors (other than that she lost her whiskers, which are now growing back). The cancer is in remission. In all http://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/11/is-being-grateful-matter-of-how-we.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-2505085081826199081Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:24:00 +00002009-11-09T16:36:34.753-06:00There's so much debate about which leadership style is best. Back in 2000, Daniel Goleman published an article in the Harvard Business Review (March-April), based upon his research. The following is a summary of that article.Coercive: What it is: This style is associated with the “Do what I tell you, now!” Coercive leaders expect and demand immediate compliance. When is it effective: This http://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/11/6-leadership-styles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-639738707895452149Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:48:00 +00002009-11-02T12:12:50.285-06:00People often ask, "How can we be more collaborative?" or "How can we have better teamwork?" While there are many things that affect our collaborative efforts, I think that one answer might be revealed if we look at how we communicate with each other.For example, I was on a project team where one person always announced her opinion as though it were fact -- and the only conceivable answer. As I http://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/11/anytime-you-make-unilateral-statement.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-8177410122998573331Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:10:00 +00002009-10-21T08:45:42.520-05:00This past week, I was in Orlando, Florida for the annual conference of one of my very favorite clients, Abilita, Inc. (name used with permission). As I am analyzing how successful teams change and perform for a grad school project, I couldn’t help but look at my client through this lens. Here are three key things I observed:Strong, Unified Identity. Abilita has a very strong core identity, http://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/10/profile-of-high-performing-organization.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-6333868938776200497Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:34:00 +00002009-10-05T16:40:15.423-05:00This week, I received my new marketing piece from my marketing consultant. It is my new one-sheet for speaking on Performance-Centered Leadership (you can check out the flyer here: http://www.bobbikahler.com/performancecenteredleadership/Performance_Centered_Leadership_Flyer.pdf). I was excited to have the finished product so that I could start sending it out to meeting planners and http://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/10/6-steps-towards-overcoming-fear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-8328249840446039081Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:49:00 +00002009-09-28T11:51:23.493-05:00A few weeks ago, I was watching the Basketball Hall of Fame inductions. Jerry Sloan, the long-time coach of the Utah Jazz, was one of the inductees. He was talking about his earlier years and how he grew into the player and coach he became. He spoke of his high school basketball coach. This coach was also the track coach and the coach made it clear that if you wanted to play basketball, then http://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/09/entitlement-vs-achievement.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-5219237356147453538Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:09:00 +00002009-09-21T16:13:37.379-05:00I read a book on Saturday called Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. The book is a firsthand account of the disaster that occurred on a mission to climb Mt. Everest. It is a fascinating and horrifying read. I read the book in preparation for one of my major class assignments for grad school. My team is analyzing team change and process. We are also going to be studying another team that has http://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/09/into-thin-air.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-5236607392967948631Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:16:00 +00002009-09-14T20:17:36.053-05:00A couple of months ago, I was asked to speak at the University of Chicago for the Booth Leaders Group (the leadership group for their business school). Specifically, I talked about the leader as communicator and the role that communication plays in leadership. One of the discussions we had was that the leader doesn’t leave communication gaps; if it is relevant, it is communicated. Several yearshttp://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/09/leader-as-communicator.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-1957920594306437606Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:41:00 +00002009-09-07T08:51:57.626-05:00Greetings from Ludington, Michigan, a beautiful town on Lake Michigan. It is also home to a few amazing Disc Golf courses, which are challenging, yet fun to play. There are certain parts of the course that are a bit overgrown. Because of my paralyzing fear of snakes, I am not fond of these patches. (The fear has its roots in childhood with several harrowing experiences, plus, a few years ago,http://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/09/f.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-4149313218186796305Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:17:00 +00002009-06-10T11:37:31.707-05:00I just finished an article, "Social Capital and Intentional Change," by Melvin Smith (one of my professors at Case Western). The article discusses the role that our social networks can play in our efforts to develop ourselves.Essentially, we develop and create our "selves" through our interactions with others. We have both close and loose networks. These two types of networks each help us as theyhttp://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/06/why-change-can-be-lonely.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-7595139994174297359Fri, 29 May 2009 23:10:00 +00002009-05-31T20:37:30.687-05:00Several months ago, I read an article in Harvard Business Review about "tough empathy." The authors claimed that tough empathy was the key to leadership. Perhaps tough empathy, at the right time, in the right place, with the right people, would be the right tool to use. However, it is just that -- a tool. Despite the plethora of articles -- and companies -- who would like to convince us that http://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/05/leadership-isnt-about-tools-its-about_29.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-7948277696242239651Tue, 26 May 2009 15:56:00 +00002009-05-29T18:09:45.579-05:00Several months ago, I read an article in Harvard Business Review about "tough empathy." The authors claimed that tough empathy was the key to leadership. Perhaps tough empathy, at the right time, in the right place, with the right people, would be the right tool to use. However, it is just that -- a tool.Despite the plethora of articles -- and companies -- who would like to convince us that therehttp://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/05/leadership-isnt-about-tools-its-about.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-4131511259098190335Wed, 06 May 2009 23:18:00 +00002009-05-26T10:52:36.687-05:00I read an article online by Paul Kearns the other day that said, "The purpose of leadership is to realize the maximum value of human potential." (http://www.evidence-basedmanagement.com/research_practice/articles/kearns_leadership_ebm.pdf) Too often this is dismissed as soft skills or simply being nice. It has nothing to do with being nice and there is nothing easy -- or soft -- about it.Think http://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/05/unrealized-potential-is-money-that-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-887870047384649283Wed, 06 May 2009 22:49:00 +00002009-05-06T18:05:17.896-05:00choiceschangevaluesleadershipTo effectively lead, one must have courage, integrity, self and social awareness, empathy, discipline and principled values. In short, a leader has developed her character. No one is born with these virtues and attributes. These virtues and attributes are developed over the course of our lifetime through the experiences that we have and the meaning that we create from those http://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/05/leaders-are-grown-not-born.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-3383442098895391092Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:54:00 +00002009-01-04T16:21:37.331-06:00Article Reviewed/Citation:Maddi, S. (2006, July). Hardiness: The courage to grow from stresses. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1, 160-168.Brief summary:This article looks at the link between hardiness and coping with stress. According to the article, hardiness is characterized by as a combination of commitment, control and challenge. Commitment keeps you connected to the important events andhttp://www.bobbikahler.com/2009/01/article-review-on-hardiness-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-2948926014362520775Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:10:00 +00002008-06-29T16:43:03.346-05:00choicesrelationshipsempathyEQCommunicationIt was a hot summer Saturday back in 1987. I had recently been transferred to the North Rangeline (North) McDonald's Store. I was moved there because I had earned a reputation as a powerful motivator and great teacher. And, to put it simply, North needed that -- desperately. On my third Saturday there (a scorcher), we were just finishing the breakfast rush and getting ready to transition to http://www.bobbikahler.com/2008/06/case-of-shattered-coffee-pot-in-ice.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-8813556612592074133Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:51:00 +00002008-06-25T08:11:17.063-05:00choicesteamworkrelationshipsEQThe older I get, the wiser my parents get. I've come to realize that my Dad was a master teacher and motivator. Whenever I had some new skill to learn or job to do, my Dad would explain it (and why it was important), he would explain the result or outcome we wanted, he would demonstrate how it was done, he would watch me as I did it, he would provide feedback on my performance, and then, when Ihttp://www.bobbikahler.com/2008/06/manage-results-not-actions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-9148857522296330136Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:54:00 +00002008-06-23T18:57:39.138-05:00choicesempathychangeEQIn the evening, I like to sit out in my backyard and read for awhile. I generally take two of my cats, Boo and Scout, with me. All is well (they love being outside!), right up until the time when it’s time for us to go in for the evening. I have to round them up. Typically this involves me chasing them or crawling around in the planting beds. Once I catch them, they growl and hiss and, in generalhttp://www.bobbikahler.com/2008/06/who-says-you-cant-herd-cats.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-5348401613256171833Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:04:00 +00002008-06-17T11:25:09.946-05:00choicesvaluesauthenticityMy mother, like most mothers, seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. She ALWAYS knew what we were up to. As we've grown up, my sisters and I have often joked about how we could never get by with anything. In April, when Mom passed away, we talked about how Mom would be always watching over us. My one sister joked, "Boy, if we thought it was tough to fool her before, now it will be http://www.bobbikahler.com/2008/06/live-in-way-where-you-never-have-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8258550673371152289.post-3741184148509201047Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:35:00 +00002008-06-06T18:47:58.460-05:00EQI love tennis and I've been watching the French Open. Like many tennis fans, I am truly amazed by Roger Federer and his amazing tennis talent. What I find to be perhaps even more amazing is his ability to manage his emotions. Today he played a Frenchman in the semi-finals and, not surprisingly, the crowd was behind the Frenchman. I could feel myself getting upset for Federer yet he remained http://www.bobbikahler.com/2008/06/staying-focused-when-thousands-are.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bobbi)0