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Showing posts from January, 2021

FOSTERING TEAM SOLIDITY

  The pandemic has had a huge impact on individual and collective health and prosperity, and no one knows when our economy and our society will be healthy again. Yet opportunities exist. If companies and leaders can inspire team members to proactively solve problems, set aside old practices, test and prove innovative ways to work, and pilot new systems, the likelihood of organizations surviving — and, indeed, thriving — is much greater. The single most important component are caring leaders : leaders who adapt to serve their employees and their companies and create positive traction. It is important for leaders to take steps to build trust and cooperation among their employees to maximize productivity and team satisfaction. Modelling best behaviors  and creating shared experiences, they must evolve and adapt, and some behaviors  that can help them are:   1. Develop Rules Of Engagement Ask people what it takes to have a great team, what the definition of ...

LESSONS FROM FARMING: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT BEHAVIOURS

Farmers pay attention to the details . It is not always an innate quality. By sheer hard work, constant research, an investment in time, and consistent habits he or she fosters growth in ways others may not understand. A farmer works harder for better results . We could easily be talking about leadership: it is so much like gardening. As leaders, it is too easy to see the role as one of domination and control. We are in charge and we want everyone to know that. Yet, if we tend a garden or a farm, we learn quickly that the plants have their own way of surviving in the wild. We cannot pull on the green stems. A nurturing approach is not "an" option in leadership; it is the only option . It is also something you can learn with practice and patience, like farming and gardening. To lead effectively, we must nurture . In many ways, the gardening analogy is better than any other analogy (say, running a race, rowing, or building a house). Some things that come out well are: Stre...

SELF-DIFFERENTIATION: THE KEY TO EMOTIONAL BALANCE AND STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS

Balancing authenticity with relational harmony is a common challenge. Self-differentiation, a core concept in Bowen Theory, helps individuals stay true to themselves while remaining connected to others, fostering clarity, calm, and confidence. Self-differentiation is a term we do not often hear in everyday conversation, but it is a powerful and essential process for living—and relating—well. It shows up when someone speaks their mind with calm conviction, even when others may disapprove . It is absent when a person defines themselves only in opposition to their parents or colleagues, constantly reacting rather than choosing. It’s also missing when someone silences their own thoughts and emotions out of fear—fear of rejection, shame, or upsetting others. Story: Bhishma’s Vow: A Legacy of Duty and Self-Mastery But the defining feature of that moment wasn’t just sacrifice— it was clarity . Bhishma was not swayed by emotion alone or by intellectual pride. He knew what he valued : duty, h...

THE REFLECTIVE MIND: UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANICS OF SELF-REFLECTION

  Being present with oneself, in the moment, being mindful, mentalizing, reflective function— all of these constructs point toward a crucial recognition of one’s own experience that takes place repeatedly on short time scales , as much as it is an overarching way of seeing that spans a lifetime. Practicing curiosity fosters open-mindedness. There is a firm but gentle way to be intently aware, where one almost sees oneself as a beloved stranger. Being a stranger to oneself can represent alienation and nihilism, but it can also be the beginning of a love affair as we meet ourselves anew. Closeness to oneself, however, can pose a variety of real and imagined threats. It is important to respect our own boundaries, self-consent to all major decisions, and equip ourselves well. Self-Absorption vs. Self-Reflection In the journey of self-discovery and personal growth, two seemingly similar yet fundamentally different concepts often arise: self-absorption and self-reflection. W...