FORBES: What Are You Focused On? How Your Thoughts Impact Your Future

As published in Forbes We create the world as we are. In a very real sense, you create in the external world whatever you focus on internally. Thoughts of lack create lack. Thoughts of problems create a life filled with problems. Thoughts of possibilities and solutions create new ideas, energy, possibilities and solutions. You can decide to focus your thoughts on the issues of the day or on the faults of others, and many do. If you are often disappointed, frustrated and angry, this may be why. Focusing only on the present situation or the shortcomings of others is a terrible way to live, but because so many people are doing this, it can seem normal. This is the antithesis of leadership. You can decide to focus your thoughts on things that happened to you in the past or on your own faults, but to do so is to be completely self-absorbed. Focusing only on yourself, you will interpret everything that happens as being about you. If you are easily jealous, hurt or offended, this may be why. This is another terrible way to live. I know because I spent years doing exactly this. Alternatively, you can choose to focus [...]

By |2022-09-15T08:57:59-07:00September 1st, 2022|Creative, Global Leadership, Latest Articles, Leadership, Leading Culture, Self-Mastery|
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Forbes: Leaders, Dreaming Matters.

As published in Forbes. If I could impart one idea that would have the greatest potential to advance you and your future success, it would be this: Master the ability to dream. Now, I know this sounds light and fun. Perhaps even easy. It isn’t. The ability to dream is a discipline, and it is one that few of us are actually good at doing well or consistently. First, let me define what I mean by dreaming: the ability to focus your thoughts on ideas that give you energy. It is the skill of keeping your attention for an extended period of time on an outcome you want to create, often in the absence of any evidence that its realization is even possible. Dreaming is the ability to see in your mind’s eye a positive future and glimpse the realization of that future, and to experience the feeling of the dream’s realization along the way, such that the accomplishment of the dream is merely another rewarding moment in a long series of rewarding moments. Unfortunately, many of us have a hard time focusing our thoughts. Sure, we can think about an outcome that we want to occur — a successful [...]

By |2022-05-12T13:03:18-07:00May 12th, 2022|Creative, Global Leadership, Leadership, Leadership Communication, Leading Culture|
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CU Insight: Leaders, How Are You?

As published in CU Insight At this stage in your life, with everything occurring in the world and the vast implications to the global economy, your industry, and your business, few things get to be about you—how you are feeling or really doing, deep inside of yourself. As an experienced leader, your job requires you to give to everyone else: vision, strategy, answers, time, attention, information, approval, feedback, coaching, encouragement, validation, and confidence. It seems everyone around you either wants or needs something from you in order to perform and be successful. You focus on others all day at work. Then, if you are a spouse, parent, child to aging parents, and/or volunteer in your community, you continue this focus on others throughout the majority of your personal life. When is your life ever about you?  Steve Jobs used to walk with his coach, Bill Campbell, on Sundays, which he used as time for himself; time to reflect, talk freely, hear himself think, get perspective, and focus himself. If you don’t currently have someone like Bill in your life, please use this post as one way to quiet the demands, fears, and noise of the world to make time for [...]

By |2021-10-22T16:34:17-07:00October 22nd, 2021|Global Leadership, Latest Articles, Leadership, Leadership Coaching, Self-Mastery, Sustainability and Systems Awareness|
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CEO Magazine: What Can Only You Do?

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. I know it feels quicker or more rewarding to do it yourself: to answer that question, respond to those emails, and/or solve the problem of the day. However, every time you jump in and do something that others could do, you detract from your work, work that only you can do. You also hinder others from learning, leading, and working at their appropriate level. We each have only eight to ten good working hours per day, so it’s imperative we leverage ourselves first, and then coach and develop others to do the same. Start With You What are the two or three key things someone at your level of leadership needs to be spending the majority of his/her time on? What is your real job? What is it that only you can do from your title and position of power? Where do you need to show your face because your presence matters enormously? What communication can only come from you? Where do you currently spend the majority of your time? Look at your calendar. What changes need to occur? What do you currently do that really needs to be owned [...]

By |2020-09-30T15:52:07-07:00September 30th, 2020|Global Leadership, Latest Articles, Leadership, Leadership Coaching|
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FORBES: Between Stimulus and Response, Where Are You?

As featured in Forbes Your CFO resigns. A merger proceeds. A key leader is let go. You lose a major deal. Your direct report handles an important task poorly. A water pipe bursts in your home. Authorities warn of a pandemic virus. Your children make decisions you wish they didn’t. Your spouse uses a certain tone of voice. World leaders take actions that scare and affect us all. How do you react? Do you find yourself wanting to vent to anyone who will listen, perhaps instantly taking to social media? Do you look for someone or something to blame, righteous about the fact that this should not be occurring? Do you allow yourself to feel hurt, angry, scared, sad or disappointed? Or do you mostly cover up your real emotions with a facade you believe to be more socially acceptable? Perhaps you shut off, go numb and, as Brené Brown put it, “have a couple of beers and a banana nut muffin.” On the other hand, maybe you find yourself relaxed and able to easily lean into the event. Are you open, curious about the news and eager to research it fully, taking nothing at face value? Do you focus [...]

By |2021-06-17T09:28:19-07:00May 1st, 2020|Global Leadership, Latest Articles, Leadership, Leading Culture, Self-Mastery|
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FORBES – Joining The Executive Ranks? Begin with the end in mind.

As featured in Forbes. Beginning a new executive role is exciting. It can also be daunting and overwhelming, with so many people to meet and things to think about, prepare, do, and achieve. The role begins as soon as your position is announced and everything you do from that moment on communicates and has a significant impact. Your first three months are critical. Get these early days right and the positive momentum you establish can do a great deal of work for you, making everything that follows that much easier. Get distracted and fail to think through who you need to be, the relationships you need to build, the communications you must have, and the culture you must live and foster, and this important first impression opportunity is lost. If you are beginning as an executive (or simply want to be more effective in the role you currently hold), take pen to paper and answer the following questions. Then, place your answers where you can see them daily and schedule time to review your progress weekly. What kind of leader do I aspire to be? Who do I want and need to be to foster the ideal culture and to [...]

By |2022-08-08T11:48:01-07:00April 8th, 2020|Global Leadership, Leadership, Leadership Communication, Leading Culture, Self-Mastery|
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Leadership impact: Let’s get real, arrogance won’t get you anywhere

Featured in the May 2019 Issue of The CEO Magazine, Executive coach Susanne Biro from Syntrina Leadership shares what it takes to be an impactful leader with CEO Magazine.  There’s a question I routinely ask potential clients because I want to understand what led them to seek out an executive coach: “Why are we speaking?”“Well, apparently I’m an asshole.” This is an answer I have heard countless times, sometimes verbatim and sometimes couched in politer words. “Are you an asshole?” I inquire. We both laugh. “Yes, I suppose I can be.”“Hey, me too. We all can. Here is your coaching: stop doing that.” Again, we both laugh.We then get to work, exploring all that is occurring for the executive: the challenges of leading in a global marketplace; the politics playing out at the senior leadership level and the resulting lack of trust; engagement and specific results throughout their organisation.And this is to say nothing of their personal life and its complexities, which might include raising children, caring for ageing parents or coping with divorce, illness and death.“What is actually happening within you?”The answers to this question vary greatly but the essence is always what is happening within each of us: our personal histories are impacting our present [...]

By |2019-05-16T09:06:52-07:00April 23rd, 2019|Global Leadership, Latest Articles|
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FORBES: The Moment Of Leadership – Maturing Past Our Desire for Direction and Validation

As published in Forbes We all want to be successful, to win the approval of others and to be chosen for those limited, top, coveted positions. We work hard to become educated, accomplished and known as the best. Unfortunately, the older we get, and the more we move up the organizational ladder, the more elusive and harder to define real success actually becomes. To make matters worse, there is no sure path to achieving it, even if we could clearly define it for ourselves. Senior leadership is daunting, and for those who have risen through the ranks by being chosen, arriving at the executive level can be quite a shock, an uneasy feeling of being untethered and the illusion of an ultimate authority who could offer solid direction, validation and approval nothing but an immature desire. “Tell me what you want me to do.” “Why am I not getting any direction, acknowledgment or validation?” “I don’t know what ‘they’ want!” The transition to the executive realm can be compared to the transition to parenthood. Although we are not all parents, most of us understand the analogy. I remember the first day I was alone with our newborn son. My husband [...]

By |2021-06-28T20:18:38-07:00October 28th, 2018|Global Leadership, Leadership, Self-Mastery|
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Real Leadership Now.

“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”—Archimedes. Being a leader today is more daunting than ever before. The pace of technological innovation is immense, the volume of information, unprecedented, and we have more generations working side by side, struggling to understand each other, than at any other time in history. As if this were not enough, many are now tasked with leading a remote, global workforce, and must manage this corresponding cultural complexity. Leaders must be masterful visionaries, communicators, and coaches. They must excel at building relationships, driving performance, creating alignment, and fostering engagement. They must be impeccable ambassadors of the professional culture their organization needs to survive and thrive. There are so many things leaders can and should be doing that today’s talented men and women rarely have the attention to consider if where they are investing their blood, sweat, and tears is making much of a difference to what they really care about. Yes, they are earning a living. They are even climbing the ladder, receiving recognition, accolades, and the opportunity to add their strategic voices. But, in order to do this well and add [...]

By |2021-06-28T20:26:49-07:00July 18th, 2016|Global Leadership, Leadership, Sustainability and Systems Awareness|
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