You’ve probably heard axioms along the lines of “success starts with making your bed.” You may have even seen the popular 2014 University of Texas at Austin Commencement address by Naval Admiral William H. McRaven, which has inspired thousands of people to make their beds each morning when they first wake up. But whether or not youContinue reading “How To Make Your Bed At Work”
Category Archives: Contribution
Work From Home Or Work From *Anywhere?*
The work world – along with almost ever other aspect of our lives – has changed dramatically in 2020. While many industries and job functions cannot be done remotely, those that can have switched to a new way of doing things. As COVID-19 vaccines come closer to being a reality, and organizations begin to planContinue reading “Work From Home Or Work From *Anywhere?*”
What Does “Thanksgiving Leadership” Look Like?
If you’ve been reading Building Bridges Leadership emails for a while, you may be familiar with our distinction between Banquet and Potluck models of leadership. In short, Banquet Leadership takes the form of top-down direction; a clear path to follow, wherein your team follows through on assigned tasks. This is efficient and effective in getting things done. Potluck Leadership takes the form ofContinue reading “What Does “Thanksgiving Leadership” Look Like?”
Outsmarting Our Own Human Biases
A new UK study suggests that working from home could lead to an increase in racism and other forms of prejudice. The study suggests that these workplace friendships are a key to breaking down misconceptions in our thinking, and building our own understanding of community. Siloed and isolated as many of us are in our home workspaces, weContinue reading “Outsmarting Our Own Human Biases”
Unity In The Midst Of Uniqueness
Regardless of your political leanings, the US election last week resulted in some noteworthy firsts. Included, of course, is Kamala Harris, who became the first woman to be elected Vice-President, as well as the first Black person and first person of South Asian descent to be elected as Vice-President. (You may be surprised to learn –Continue reading “Unity In The Midst Of Uniqueness”
Banquets & Potlucks In Your Workplace (And In The 2020 Elections!)
Remember the days of large gatherings of people, and sharing food with one another in an enclosed space? Those days may feel like a long time ago, but banquets and potlucks can help us to understand our workplace, and even our larger society. A large proportion of Building Bridges Leadership’s consulting and workshops focuses onContinue reading “Banquets & Potlucks In Your Workplace (And In The 2020 Elections!)”
The Power Of Open-Ended Questions
Bring to mind a recent conversation – in the workplace or elsewhere – that didn’t go as well as you would have liked; that left you, or others, feeling misunderstood, undervalued, or unacknowledged. What kinds of questions (if any!) did you and your conversation partners use? Now bring to mind a conversation that went well;Continue reading “The Power Of Open-Ended Questions”
Balancing The “More” With The “New”
Many organizational questions boil down to the categories of Evolution and Revolution: “What can we improve or change?” (Evolution) and “What can we do that hasn’t been done before?” (Revolution). A number meetings I’ve been a part of recently – with different groups of people, in different contexts – have ended up circling the same question: “Instead of Evolution,Continue reading “Balancing The “More” With The “New””
Making a Mosaic Instead of a Melting Pot
Like many people in the first decade of the 21st century, I was hooked on the TV show LOST. I watched it religiously, talked through theories with friends, and followed the character names to learn more about the real-life figures they were named after (Locke, Rousseau, and Faraday, to name just a few). One of theContinue reading “Making a Mosaic Instead of a Melting Pot”
Lessons from the Life of John Lewis
Two years ago, I was fortunate to be working at Harvard’s 367th Commencement ceremony, at which John Lewis received an honorary doctorate. In his speech, he encouraged everyone in attendance to make “necessary trouble” and stand up for justice, “even when injustice wears a uniform.” Mr. Lewis’s death last Friday has caused me – along with manyContinue reading “Lessons from the Life of John Lewis”
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