In the spring, when we see a new bud, we think it just appeared one day.  In reality, it’s been forming for a long time.  That’s the thing about new growth, it takes awhile to appear.  Just like this blog, it’s been waiting to appear, and now it’s ready to sprout.  This is my first post in a blog about leadership development.  I will share research and best practices for people in roles that influence others, whether they are formal leadership positions or positions of expertise.

As I write posts, I’ll be drawing on hundreds of conversations with people who work in organizations and teams where things weren’t always going well.  I’ve been asked to help leaders and teams sort out all kinds of work distress, from colleagues who couldn’t get along to teams that were just getting started to organizations who needed to completely re-think how they did their work.  In each case, there was a leader searching for the insight and wisdom to know what to do to make the situation better.  And, in every single conversation, I was inspired by the goodness in each person and the desire to do the right thing.  So many times I thought, “If they could only say these things to each other, the tension would evaporate and they would see how we are all here for the same reason.”  However, we know that organizations are complex systems and life isn’t always so simple.

I’m looking forward to putting my experience to use here for readers to consider how it is the same or different from their own experience.  My goal is to write short bits (to the point) with substantial information.  I would love to hear reactions, insights and how you’ve handled situations and what you’ve learned along the way.  Please tune in!