Upcoming Keynotes
- Sustainable Brands – San Diego, CA
- Michigan Society of Association Executives - Kalamazoo, MI
- CA Technologies – Chicago, IL
310.440.4200
This past long weekend seemed like a great time to stop and smell the roses. Or, at least, to plant some new flowers in my garden. These are pink dahlias, some of my favorites. As I pruned and potted, I couldn’t help but ponder literature’s love of gardening (along with flowing rivers) as a metaphor for growth and change. Here are a few brief leadership lessons that every gardener – as well as every great leader – knows: Nourishment. A leader has to create an environment where people can do their best work. This doesn’t necessarily mean lavish praise, nor does it mean undue criticism. It simply means setting a tone for people to trust and respect each other enough to share their authentic selves, bring new ideas to the table, and voice dissenting opinions. Leaders feed hope. Experimentation. It may seem obvious that if one thing doesn’t work, you’ve got to try something else. But it’s not. Plenty of individuals and organizations get stuck in doing the same things over and over (remember the definition of crazy?). Check out my … Continue reading
Here’s an excerpt from my upcoming book. Preorder a copy now from your favorite online bookseller, send the receipt to Rachel@LibbyGill.com and we’ll enter you into a random drawing to win an iPad Mini on publication day, August 6th! As part of my work, I’ve helped name products, books, service packages and a couple of companies. Although it’s likely that your company already has a name, that doesn’t mean that you’re through with the naming process. You may need to name a project, team, corporate initiative, blog, campaign, book, or just about anything else at some point in your career. Names are important and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Some names not only tell you who the entity is and what they do, but they provide an attitude, a tone, even a specific promise. Though there are few hard and fast rules for naming – and often you don’t know if you’ve got a great name until it’s stood the test of time – there are some things you can do to increase your odds of landing on a … Continue reading
More than 50 million American workers are expected to forgo an average of three vacation days each this year, according to a survey by Expedia.com. Most Americans get approximately 18 vacation days per year but only use 14. That means we give back more than 438 million days when we could be barbecuing at the beach, hiking in the mountains or kicking back at home. Why do you suppose so many of us miss out on hard-earned time off? Guilt was the primary reason listed by 39 percent of the men surveyed, and 30 percent of women seconded that. Since U.S. workers get less vacation time than counterparts in Great Britain, Germany, France and Spain, that’s pretty sad. I see this scenario played out among my coaching clients. While most want to spend time with friends and family or recharge their batteries, they experience a push-pull when it comes to unplugging from the office. Most handle it by taking three or four-day weekends and calling those vacations. Or, if they take a week off, they stay connected to the office … Continue reading
With tax time nearly upon us and my (second!) keynote to the great folks at Wells Fargo right around the corner, it’s no wonder I’ve got money on the mind. And I’m wondering if any of these money cliches below ring a bell for you: “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” “The only way to get ahead is to work harder than everyone else.” “You’ve got champagne tastes and a beer budget.” Maybe you grew up with a dad who liked to remind you that he “wasn’t a Rockefeller.” Or a mom who was constantly struggling to “stretch a dollar.” Regardless of the message, awareness of your particular money mindset – that is, the system of conscious and unconscious beliefs you have about wealth – is often the first step toward creating a healthy money mindset and a life of abundance. I’ll give you an example. Sara, an extremely talented young photographer I worked with, seemed to embody that principle. She had observed that whenever she got close to a financial breakthrough, her business took a downturn. She lost a key … Continue reading
Collaborative consumption. Peer-to-peer rental. The access economy. Whatever you call it, sharing goods or services – for a fee, that is – is bigger than ever. Thanks to the Internet, more peer-rental companies like AirBnB, Lyft, and Boatbound are popping up than ever before. Two phenomena seem to be driving the change from an ownership mentality to a preference for short-term rental, particularly for things from boats to bedrooms abroad that may be used only rarely. First, Facebook led the way for trust-based online communities, self-policed with customs established formally or informally by the group itself. As social media sites continue to grow and become a bigger part of our daily lives, so does our trust level in the people we meet online – for right or wrong. I mean, would you ever share your credit card information or baby pictures with a total stranger as willingly as you do with your online “friends”? Additionally, the financial landscape of 2008-2010 was also a huge factor in the growth spurt behind the sharing economy. Back then, we saw lots of folks … Continue reading
Last week, I had the privilege of delivering a presentation to 650 of the most important people on the planet: fire fighters, 911 dispatchers, paramedics, and law enforcement officials. These dedicated folks are on the front lines keeping all of us safe and I am eternally grateful for their service. But you don’t have to be a first responder to protect and serve others. In my book You Unstuck, I profile San Antonio-based Rackspace, a web-hosting company famous for what they call “fanatical support.” Rackers – as employees refer to themselves – don’t just talk about fanatical support, they live it. In the aftermath of Katrina as hurricane victims were streaming out of New Orleans, Rackspace Chairman Graham Weston offered the city an old department store he owned for temporary housing. Tapped out, the Mayor accepted the offer, but cautioned Weston that he would have to manage the location entirely on his own. And that’s exactly what happened. In a closely knit company like Rackspace, word travels fast. Within hours, dozens of Rackers showed up to convert the store into … Continue reading
The truth is, most of us already know what we need to do to get unstuck – whether it’s with our work, our weight, our relationships, or our finances. . So why aren’t we doing it? That’s the $64,000 question… Getting unstuck is actually more about changing your beliefs than it is changing your behavior. Because once you a.) believe change is possible and, b.) have the expectation that your actions will result in a more positive future, it’s not hard to start behaving your way to success. So let’s take a look at some of the beliefs that might be keeping you stuck. See if any of the following describe you: You know what changes you need to make but you’re not making them Your life is basically good, but there’s one area that you keep avoiding (think hard, overachievers) You know what you want but you have no idea how to get there so you’re not doing anything When you think about changing your life, you feel totally overwhelmed and taking a nap suddenly sounds like a much … Continue reading
Ah, Valentine’s Day. That romantic time of year when we strive to make our loved ones happy with gifts of chocolate, flowers, or fancy dinners. But did you know that trying to make someone else happy may have exactly the opposite effect on you? In a series of four experiments conducted at Harvard and Stanford, researchers asked study subjects to do two different things: a.) make someone else happy b.) make someone smile Participants were also asked to determine which of the two efforts – shooting for happiness or just getting a grin – made them feel happier. Though it may seem counterintuitive, respondents found it not only easier but also much more personally rewarding to simply get someone to smile than it was to figure out how to bestow happiness on another human being. Turns out that setting lofty and nebulous goals sends most of us into a tailspin. Lesson learned? That setting small, concrete objectives makes you feel good since you’ve given clear and attainable directives. And it makes others feel good since they exactly what you’re expecting. … Continue reading
January is a great time to think about the changes you want to make – not just in your life – but in the world. The first step is to get very clear on the value you provide. Once you’re committed to functioning at the highest level of self and you’re crystal clear about your value proposition, you’re ready to embark on an undertaking without which your personal life would be incomplete and your professional life unfulfilled. You’ve discovered your Emotional Assignment. Let me give you an example of a remarkable woman named Alison De Spong who illustrates this principle of purpose. I met Alison when I had the privilege of presenting at CA Technologies’ first-ever Executive Women’s Forum. Alison was a mere twenty-three when she discovered her Emotional Assignment. A self-proclaimed Type A, Alison was on a fast track in real estate advertising and marketing during Arizona’s boom years. Not only did she have a dream job, she’d bought and remodeled her own home. Nonetheless, Alison was longing for a deeper sense of purpose when an acquaintance introduced her … Continue reading
I just came across this piece I wrote a few years ago for my Dallas Morning News column, Traveling Hopefully. Seemed like a good time to share it again! Surviving the Family Holiday ‘Tis the season that most of have visions of traffic jams, crowded malls and maxed-out credit cards dancing through our heads. Despite best intentions to rediscover the peace and joy of the holiday season, we somehow find ourselves right back in the same old over-scheduled and over-commercialized patterns as we spend too much, eat too much and stress too much. And a major source of that stress? The dreaded family holiday get-together. I’m sure you’ve already got all the decorating and entertaining advice you need, so here are some tips to help you not only survive your holiday with the family, but also have a good time. Now wouldn’t that be cause for celebration? Make decisions upfront. Decide beforehand, not in the moment, how much time you want to devote to family gatherings and how you’ll gracefully extricate yourself from functions when it’s time to leave. If … Continue reading
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