Leadership Deep Dive ™

Executive Coaching, Leadership Training, and Personal Development

What Happened When I Cracked My Rose-Tinted Glasses

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Close up of a blue eyeSometimes seeing the person that is actually standing in front of me – rather than the person I wish were there – feels like standing in the rain with a painting I spent my whole life perfecting, watching all the colors run down my legs and into the street.

It is an experience of grief.

Many of us could use some exercise around reconciliation of humans, even though it can be excruciating. Sometimes the reconciliation can be required for a spouse or a parent – or even a child.  Sometimes, it is articulating that a job you’ve longed for isn’t sustainable, isn’t as described, or is tainted by a boss who feels ogre-like.

Many of us, especially in the nonprofit and fundraising worlds, have some Pleaser saboteur in us. By definition, we have deep reservoirs of hope and idealism. We have it in our DNA, some of us, to see people as good, to look for their shiny and their silver linings. And many of us don’t like rocking the boat, so we make excuses or silently endure the parts of others that are jagged or mean. [Read more…]

Choosing a Stand Over a Position

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compass

Having an agreed understanding of what a word means – a distinction – enables us to have different conversations, which can enable us to achieve better results. For example, back in 2019 relatively few people knew what a Zoom call was. Today, millions of us share that distinction.

One distinction I have found particularly helpful is the difference between a position and a stand.

A position is against something – a negative reaction to something we don’t agree with. We hear about this a lot these days in politics, in the news, and especially on social media. That’s largely because it’s relatively easy to say what we don’t agree with, to object to an idea or another person’s view. We can find ourselves triggered when we hear or read a comment we particularly don’t like. We experience a feeling that comes from somewhere deep inside, which seems to rise up from the stomach. But the very existence of a position depends on its counter-position. In other words, take that counter-position away and our position can no longer survive. [Read more…]

Episode 85 – Trailblazing a New Path Inward with Kate Norton

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Leadership Deep Dive
Leadership Deep Dive
Episode 85 - Trailblazing a New Path Inward with Kate Norton



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In this episode, our good friend and colleague from Dartmouth, Kate Norton talks with Janice and David about trailblazing a new path inward.

Kate shares how that journey led her to venture out from her “zones of competence and excellence” into her “zone of genius.”

She describes how that journey can be uncomfortable at times, and how she navigated using her sage powers while quieting the self-limiting voices of her saboteurs.

Finally, Kate issues a challenge to the audience to look at areas of work and life where they are already excellent, and consider some other areas where they want to venture out onto the “skinny branches.”

She also wrote about her journey in this blogpost.

Our free resource this week is to reach out to one of the Leadership Deep Dive Coaches after you take Kate’s challenge if you want a complimentary coaching session to distinguish your zone of excellence from your zone of genius.

If you haven’t already, please subscribe at iTunes, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music Podcasts, or Spotify.

Our theme music is “Curiosity” by Polysorbate Eighty.  Composed and produced by Patrick Mather and James Celentano.  Performed by Kristen Bussandri. Copyright 2009 Polysorbate Eighty and Kristen Bussandri.

 

Some Pants Are Better To Travel Without

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I want to talk about Traveling Pants – but I don’t mean the same thing as the young adult series of books.  Those were about an actual pair of jeans that miraculously fit four totally differently shaped friends (really, now that I think about it, perhaps these books were magic realism as much as YA fiction) and connected them to each other.  I am talking about a metaphoric pair of pants or jeans that actually might fit one of your friends – but certainly don’t fit you.

Ultimately, some pants are better to travel without.

[Read more…]

Trailblazing a Path

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Rambling Through the Thicket of Professional Callings

One day, I woke up with the realization: This is my life. I asked myself: Am I doing what I love? Am I faithful to my professional callings, personal callings, and family and friends?

For those who may know me, I tend to take most of my energy and place it in one bucket: work. In many ways, this is great. I have gathered a lot of expertise in many areas; I am highly efficient and can be counted on as a valuable contributor and resource in various circumstances. But the real question I recently asked is: Am I doing what I love? And, do I love what I am doing?  Am I trailblazing a path that I set out for myself when I was younger and had envisioned the ‘adult’ version of myself?

[Read more…]

We Were Named a Top Fundraising Podcast by Welp Magazine

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We love co-hosting the Leadership Deep Dive Podcast. In each episode, we are joined by nonprofit and other professionals for engaging and inspiring conversations related to leadership, management, fundraising, and personal development.

We are excited to be named as a Top Fundraising Podcast by Welp Magazine.

We are featured along with some of our podcasting friends like Jason Lewis of The Fundraising Talent and Fundraising Voices from Ruffalo Noel Levitz.

Welp Magazine is an online publication, that provides helpful resources for businesses, covering everything from software and accounting tips to office furniture recommendations.

If you haven’t already, please subscribe to our podcast at iTunes, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music Podcasts, or Spotify. 

Episode 81: Being a Leader in Transition with John Torget

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Leadership Deep Dive
Leadership Deep Dive
Episode 81: Being a Leader in Transition with John Torget



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In this episode, David Langiulli and Margaret Katz Cann talk with John Torget (the Associate Vice President of Advancement at Virginia Tech) about being a leader in transition.

John shares what happened when he was unexpectedly asked to take on a new role at the University amid the pandemic and how he navigated the situation.  

Change can be unsettling and disorienting – especially during a global crisis.  John encourages listeners to do their best to be positive throughout the process.

You can read John’s post on the Leadership Deep Dive Blog. 

If you haven’t already, please subscribe at iTunes, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music Podcasts, or Spotify. 

Our theme music is “Curiosity” by Polysorbate Eighty.  Composed and produced by Patrick Mather and James Celentano.  Performed by Kristen Bussandri. Copyright 2009 Polysorbate Eighty and Kristen Bussandri.

Being a Leader in Transition

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As our society passed through its second spring equinox under a global pandemic, I took personal stock of my spring renewal achieved by successfully leading a team through a significant transition last year. Since change is constant and accelerating, two luminary leaders guided my daily journey of being a leader in transition.  They are, President Theodore Roosevelt and author William Bridges, who pioneered “Managing Transitions,” a guidepost for leading a change process. [Read more…]

Pulling Back the Curtain on Coaching for Higher Ed Leaders

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Coaching for Higher Ed Leaders

When I arrived at Bucknell University in 2016, I was thrilled by the challenges and opportunities that awaited me as the freshly minted dean of their prestigious College of Engineering. While my career in academia had seen a steady increase in leadership roles, I found myself in a whole new world. As excited as I was, I also recognized that there likely would be challenges ahead for which I had limited experience and (certainly) no formal training. [Read more…]