Here at Productive Flourishing, 2021 has been a year of change (not that 2020 wasn’t… I’ve been calling this year 2020 the Sequel: Now It’s Personal, which sounds much more epic when you imagine the voiceover by Don LaFontaine). We’ve talked about a few of those changes already on the blog, from … [Read more...] about Behind the Curtain: Why and How We’re Changing Up Operations at PF
Leadership
6 Ways to Level Up Your Leadership
There comes a point during your work for a company — one that you know you want to stick with and grow with — when you feel prepared to take on more challenges and to move up to a more senior leadership position. Regardless of how long you’ve been in your current role, you know that you can help … [Read more...] about 6 Ways to Level Up Your Leadership
The Difference Between Being Ready and Being Prepared
When we think about what the next step is that needs to be done to level up our work, our teams, or our business, we often think of if we are — or are not — ready for it, rather than if we are prepared for it. (Tip o’ the hat to Seth for drawing the prepared/ready distinction in Leap First.) When … [Read more...] about The Difference Between Being Ready and Being Prepared
3 Ways to Overcome Business-Owner Burnout
Does your business look different than it did a year ago? How about two years ago? And, does it look different than it did six months ago? What about just a quarter ago? What is it going to look like next quarter? Next year? Two years out? If you’re like many business owners, the answers to those … [Read more...] about 3 Ways to Overcome Business-Owner Burnout
Finishing Strong Part 4: How to Make Your Next Project Easier, Better, and More Fun
This final part of our Finishing Strong series takes what you’ve learned from all your hard work on your current project or season, and applies it to the next big thing you’ll work on. Whether it’s at the end of a project, the end of a quarter, or the end of a year, we are big fans of AARs … [Read more...] about Finishing Strong Part 4: How to Make Your Next Project Easier, Better, and More Fun
Turning “How” Problems into “Who” Solutions
The first question most people ask when they have a problem is “How will I solve this?” We’re conditioned to go it alone, to figure out how to do everything ourselves, and to ask for help only after we’ve exhausted our own resources and capabilities. That mentality is overwhelming, and it’s … [Read more...] about Turning “How” Problems into “Who” Solutions
Doing Your Sacred Work
What if one of the best ways you could be of service to the world right now is by doing your work? This question came to me about four weeks ago when I was struggling with how I wanted (and needed) to be an active participant in the global movement for social justice. I shared recently that I … [Read more...] about Doing Your Sacred Work
Working with Difficult Emotions
About a month ago, during my morning meditation, I was drawn inward to face some heavy feelings that I had started to suppress even before COVID-19 became our daily reality. And that I had allowed to continue to build over time. (In a moment I’ll share why COVID-19 is an important part of this … [Read more...] about Working with Difficult Emotions
Daily Family Check-Ins
While many of us may be spending more time with our family than we normally would, it’s quite possible that we may also be feeling even more disconnected from them than we might realize or think possible. More time together means more connection, right? Not always. Life has changed considerably … [Read more...] about Daily Family Check-Ins
Is the Gig Economy the Best Future of Work?
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Breanne Dyck. I’ve seen a lot of articles popping up lately talking about the "future of work." The exact details vary, of course, but the general sentiment is that in the not-too-far-off-future, we're going to see a dramatic shift away from traditional … [Read more...] about Is the Gig Economy the Best Future of Work?
3 Ways to Be an Empathetic Leader Under Pressure
Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Patricia Bravo. Picture this. You’re under a tight deadline or pressure to deliver. You have no additional resources at the moment, you have more work than you can handle and clients are awaiting your deliverables. To top it off, you barely slept the last … [Read more...] about 3 Ways to Be an Empathetic Leader Under Pressure
How Empathy Can Build Better Workplace Relationships
Editor's note: This is a guest post by Mike Ambassador Bruny. There is an interesting dynamic that can exist between leaders and those they lead. Many employees complain about their leaders, and many leaders complain about their employees. Having been in both roles and received training in … [Read more...] about How Empathy Can Build Better Workplace Relationships
A Musician’s Lessons on Leadership
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Breanne Dyck. Have you ever heard a piano that sounds tinny? Or one that sounds a little thin, cheap, or a bit like it came out of some old-timey saloon? It’s not that it sounds desperately out of tune per se…but it’s clearly not the robust, warm, rich … [Read more...] about A Musician’s Lessons on Leadership
How to Focus on Running Your Business (in 5 Easy Steps)
Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Chris Ronzio. How far away are you from owning a company that runs itself? For many entrepreneurs stuck in the day-to-day grind, the goal of focusing strictly on running your business seems impossible to attain. Owning a business comes with an endless list … [Read more...] about How to Focus on Running Your Business (in 5 Easy Steps)
How to Explore and When to Embrace Empathetic Leadership
Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Patricia Bravo. When I tell people that I do work around empathetic leadership, helping leaders strengthen how they use empathy as a tool for team member engagement, I typically receive one of three types of responses. I describe them as the advocate, the … [Read more...] about How to Explore and When to Embrace Empathetic Leadership
Do Your Organization's Rules Advance Its Vision and Mission?
I was speaking to the outgoing board chair of a non-profit recently because I'm considering joining the board, and after thirty minutes or so of conversation, she mentioned that she was sad to be leaving the board. From all appearances, she's been a great board chair, is still very much into the … [Read more...] about Do Your Organization's Rules Advance Its Vision and Mission?
Are You Articulating Your Intuitive Synthesis to Your Team?
How do you learn to see what you don't see? How do you learn to look for what you don't know to look for? While those questions sound like something you'd hear in a Philosophy 101 course, in reality, they capture one of the toughest challenges leaders and their teams face. Many leaders’ teams … [Read more...] about Are You Articulating Your Intuitive Synthesis to Your Team?
Why You Can’t Put Performance Management on the Back Burner
Leaders too often think taking time to examine a team’s performance, whether that’s correcting what’s wrong or amplifying what’s good, is boring or isn’t necessary for getting today's priorities done. That sort of scrutiny also often requires some tough conversations between the leader and their … [Read more...] about Why You Can’t Put Performance Management on the Back Burner