Monday, December 14, 2020, was a day of reckoning in the USA for at least three reasons.

Whether you live in Canada or the USA, how was your Thanksgiving? What about it reflected long-practiced traditions and what about it was an expression of a new approach?

My friend Carl (not his real name) and I have had an ongoing dialog about the UPS guy for years. While the character is fictitious, it is a way to speak metaphorically about an unrequested opportunity for learning and development. The trigger is most often a situation that is challenging to our usual way of thinking, feeling and/or operating. It requires something new and better than what we have done so far.

I’ve read about several global surveys that indicate that CEOs believe that the most important leadership skill for these times (21st century) is empathy.

Recent musings. The late management guru Peter Drucker said, “What gets measured gets managed.” And my Landmark Education Corporation training claimed that “if you can see it, you can move, manage and fulfill it.”

The U.S. has completed an important step in its democratic process – election of representatives at all levels of government. The process continues and remains an open question of whether and how a peaceful transition will occur. We live in a divided country – divided in perspective, priority and principle.

Life can be so much more than simply living. Nothing wrong with living but that seems to be a small game to play. Which raises the question, what game(s) are you playing?

“A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” That was the observation of Rahm Emmanuel, former mayor of Chicago and Chief of Staff for President Barack Obama. Well, we find ourselves in a crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic and the socioeconomic disruptions it is causing.

What’s in a word? Does it matter if one characterizes a difference of opinion as a “disagreement” or a “conflict”? Are they the same? Do they have the same implications? Do they evoke/trigger similar responses in people?

It matters how we think about things. As we (continue to) grow, our ways of thinking about things become more complex and capable of making sense of our world. Yet some of us slow or stop before becoming competent and creative in our ways of leading ourselves and others.

I consider myself luckier than most in today’s dangerous and disruptive world and was just reminded of that. I do work that I love, still have a job, and make a difference in their lives, with requisite ripple effects on others they effect.

Einstein observed that “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” I had a recent client situation to illustrate that.

One of my clients shared a remarkable transformation recently. Darlene (not her real name) observed that she no longer expected others to change their attitudes or behaviors. She held herself accountable for making any needed changes. She was responsible for her own attitude, her own reaction and response, her own communication and associated emotional tone.

Upon reflection, I consider myself very lucky. I have a number of friends I can turn to for support and guidance. A hallmark of these relationships is that we immediately gravitated to having straight, no BS, conversations.

In response to a request for help, managers often step in and problem solve. After all, that’s what they were rewarded for as individual contributors. They got the job done. As managers, however, their job is not only to get work done with and through others but also to develop their people.

To paraphrase what my colleague, Carol Kauffman, recently observed, “I recognize that I can’t control my destiny, However, I can shape my probabilities.” Improving the odds about things that matter to us is one of the intended outcomes of self-leadership.

A recent conversation centered around the impact of COVID-19, the four months of shelter-at-home and virtual work, and the impact of this disruption into the future. What are we as coaches doing to address our self-care and resilience, and what are we doing to support our clients?

A light came on while I was working with a client last week. A senior vice president of analytics in a fintech firm, he used to travel worldwide, supporting sales efforts, crafting innovative approaches and solutions and coaching his team members. With COVID-19 a new reality with a long future likely, travel has been completely curtailed.

I thought I knew what good customer service was all about. I mean, I’m a consultant and a coach and, of course, a customer. And yet, an event last week opened my eyes and brought new awareness and appreciation for things I thought I knew.

Are you trustworthy?