Can you believe 2025 is already winding down?
This season is a good time to pause. This is a time for rest and reflection. It's not a time for hustle. Prioritize friends and family. Prioritize making memories over making dollars. Presence over productivity.
And here's where Cohesive Leaders quietly stand out. Cohesive Leaders are thermostats, not thermometers. They don’t react to the emotional climate. They set the social climate and emotional temperature of the group. So as you move through gatherings, conversations, and crowded calendars, be the thermostat. Set a tone of peace. Encourage contemplation. Make room for joy throughout the holiday season.
Sometimes leadership looks less like driving results and more like slowing the room down.
“I can do it myself.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“I can do it my way.”
I remember as a child being a little stubborn (I know you’re shocked ) and telling Mom aka FANNY that I could do it on my own.
Are the thoughts shaping your life truly your own, or have they been influenced by outside forces?
If you haven't noticed, America is in the middle of a presidential campaign. Celebrity endorsements are coming out of the woodworks. We know who Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, Kid Rock, Bill Nye, and even Lady Gaga's dad are voting for.
Are you taking their input at face value? Are you allowing your voice to become a replica of someone else's?
While traveling in Lisbon, Portugal a few years ago, I happened to take a quick photo of my wife standing on a cobble-stone street filled with shops. After posting it on Facebook, I received a comment that the photo looked like a postcard.
That got me to thinking about how grateful I am to have a life filled with many blessings to include my faith, family, fitness, finances, and foundation (giving). Oftentimes, people tell me that I have a large personality and an over-engaged optimistic view of life.
I make no apologies for having either and proudly claim both. That will especially be funny to those who know me well.
For me, I live my life like a postcard and the inscription reads:Gratitude is My Attitude.
Have you noticed how some folks are "job hugging"?
It’s like “tree hugging,” but instead of wrapping arms around a mighty oak, people are clinging tightly to their current role, hoping if they hold on long enough, they won’t get swept up in layoffs, restructuring, or the AI revolution.
What is Job Hugging?
Job hugging is the act of clinging to one's current role out of fear, uncertainty, or a perceived lack of alternatives. It's a defensive posture where employees remain in positions that may no longer align with their passions or career goals, simply to avoid the perceived risks associated with change.
Motivation and systems play a vital role in achieving personal and professional goal success. Understanding how motivation works and the types of motivation that provides stimuli for me and others that I lead is critical to leadership success.
Ever wondered what goes on in the brain when you ask a question with “why” in the beginning?
For most of us, we know immediately.
Our brain senses conflict and engages our natural defense system.
Do you ever feel disconnected at work?
You're trying to be professional. Stay focused. Show up as a good teammate. But then...
- Your emails go unanswered.
- A colleague pulls you aside to spill gossip.
- You’re blindsided by a poor performance review.
Now, what do you do?
It's easy to feel unsure in moments like these, especially if it's the first time you've had to deal with this in the workplace. So, I turned to C.A.R.L. (the Cohesive Artificial Response Leader) for guidance on navigating some of these uncomfortable scenarios.
Here's what C.A.R.L. had to say.
When people ask me about my leadership journey, I refer back to 1969. At 12 years old, my mom, aka FANNY, was diagnosed with breast cancer. We lived in a small rural town in West Virginia. Our small little town offered limited education, poor economic conditions, and we were 30 to 45 minutes from the nearest hospital or major employer.
Would you be surprised to know? 80% of Americans indicate that each time the New Year rolls around their anxiety increases due to high-levels of performance expectations, unfinished project work, and too many re-scheduled meetings.
In my co-authored bestselling book,Back After Burnout, according to a report issued by the American Institute of Stress, one in four employees rank work stress as their number one cause of stress.
AND, the Department of Labor determined that two-thirds of workers site stress as very or somewhat significant.What can be done about it?
