Growing up and living in a large metropolitan city, can make anyone take the sound of a siren for granted. In a big city… It’s a common occurrence to hear police sirens. It’s a common occurrence to hear fire truck sirens. It’s a common occurrence to hear ambulance sirens. These sirens interrupt our sleep. These Read More
5 Virtual Mentors That Changed My Life
I’ve been blessed to have some wonderful leaders, teachers and mentors. These individuals have made an indelible impact on me. I will be forever grateful for the role each of them have played in my life. I’m often asked about these people through a series of questions like: Can you name a leader who challenged Read More
A Terrible Mistake Leaders Often Make
As a leader, I find it alarming and disheartening how many leaders make one common mistake. Often this mistake is overlooked by these leaders and repeated by the people they intend to lead. According to research, only 11% of leaders in North America are effective. I would attribute this mistake to that discouraging figure, but Read More
5 Reasons Critical Thinkers Are Becoming Extinct
Our culture today seems to push against the very existence and need for the competence of critical thinking. In 2014, we are so used to being told where to focus and what to focus our attention on, that many of us give thought only to the things we can immediately see and/or hear. The Read More
Need To De-Clutter Your Life?
Over the past week, I got a note in the mail sharing all the details for our neighborhood spring cleaning. I suppose it is that time of year again. After the terribly long and frigid winter we experienced in the Western Hemisphere, the thought of spring anything is a welcomed antidote. It’s literally time to de-clutter and get Read More
7 Reasons We Avoid New Opportunities
Over this past weekend, a group of colleagues and I volunteered our time to provide coaching conversations to a group of men at the Pacific Garden Mission (homeless shelter) in Chicago. I was one of the first coaches to arrive at the location, so I took on the responsibility of gathering twenty men from a lounge Read More
7 Skills A 21st Century Leader Will Need To Succeed!
Recently, I provided the keynote speech at a large leadership conference and shared a talk about what makes a leader effective, along with the new competencies of leadership in the 21st century. To start my talk I shared my twitter handle (@linalharris) with the audience to provide them a way to ask questions, since there Read More
Why Live? We’re All Going To Die Anyway!
Stuff happens! The uncertainty of when and how stuff happens is a complex and necessary part of life. Most of the stuff that happens can be categorized as good or bad, however the interpretation and categorization of this stuff, is completely up to us. Or is it? There are a number of things and/or happenings Read More
5 Ways To Make Great First Impressions
You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. It is the first impression that often closes or opens doors to additional contacts and networking opportunities. Unfortunately, we live in a world laced with bias and stereotypes, so if you truly want to design your own life and open unseen doors of opportunity, Read More
Who’s Running Your Show?
You have dreams. You have ideas. You have all sorts of goals and desires. Yet the realization of these dreams seem to be, so far out of your grasp. Those ideas you have…never seem to gain any traction. Those goals…well, you may complete twenty-five to fifty percent of a goal, but rarely have you seen Read More