Month: September 2026

September 29, 2026

Strong (not rigid) Leadership

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Can you be a strong leader and leave the rigid mindset behind?

Can you be a strong leader and simultaneously leave the rigid mindset behind? Do strength and rigidity have to coexist? I believe that with practice and mindful reflection, you can achieve strong leadership without rigidity. To me, rigidity is the shadow side of a strong leader. If you lean too much into your power, you may become set in your behaviors and mindset. 

This is something I had to work on early on in my leadership journey. As a new educator and then as a new manager, I found comfort in systems and structures, especially those that seemed to be effective. Some of my top Clifton strengths are in the executing domain and, if overused, can lead to a rigid and overly structured mindset and behaviors. When these strengths are over-leveraged, I am less open to alternative options and opinions.

September 3, 2026

What are your Metrics for Success?

You Get To Decide What Works

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

What are your metrics for success? What measuring tape do you use to determine whether you are effective or successful? You get to decide. In fact, you will be more effective if you decide for yourself rather than only letting others decide for you. I used to think other people decided my level of success for me. I waited for external feedback to know if I was doing well at a job or at school. I wondered if people noticed when I worked hard or accomplished a task well and if they would acknowledge my work. When I moved to running a small business on my own, it became harder to set metrics for success and know if I was doing well. I started to realize that I could decide what the metric was and give myself feedback.

Finding the Right Metric

If the metrics you are looking at aren’t useful in optimizing your strategy, stop looking at them.