Category: Leadership lessons and principles

  • Do you participate only as a leader?

    Do you participate only as a leader?

    Do you tend to participate in groups only as a leader? Really think about this for a second. When was the last time that you weren’t a committee-chair or chapter-president or section-manager? Did you do well there? Did you thrive? Or were you constantly frustrated, and did you ultimately quit out of Read more […]

  • 15 things I have learned since I moved to Uganda–15 years ago today

      On September 17, 2000, I boarded a plane in Phoenix, Arizona. I was headed for my new home in Uganda, East Africa, and my mission was to create AidChild.   (Thanks to the love, compassion and expertise of so many, AidChild has now touched thousands of lives, won countless awards, and Read more […]

  • Where do we go from here?

    “Love many, but trust few.”  So read the words in an answer to a question I offered to Ugandan men in my continued research.  (I am looking into how Ugandan men describe the tools they use to navigate life.) The question was about which Ugandan proverbs help the participants understand what is expected Read more…

  • 5 Leadership Lessons from the Headlines of 2013

    1.  There is a time to speak While the jury is still out (figuratively and literally) on Edward Snowden’s decision to make public so many American secrets, the leadership lesson remains: Have the courage to act on conviction even in the face of grave consequence. I am not well enough informed Read more […]

  • The Pope behind the Pope of the Year: Paving the way to change

    Like so many, I have been inspired and impressed by Pope Francis and his courage to challenge many of the practices of the papacy, and the traditions of the church. I often imagine him surrounded by people who say things like, “Well, you can’t do that,” or “But this is the way it’s been done…

  • Is compromise a four-letter word?

    The other day, a friend and I were chatting over a cup of coffee.  She was telling me about some troubling issues at her work.  Finally, I sighed and said, “I’m so sorry this is happening.” She looked at me funny and said, “Well it’s not YOUR fault!” Of course it wasn’t my fault, nor…

  • My 6 Air Travel Tips

    Over the last several years, I have clocked literally millions of air-travel miles.  I am often asked how I manage it.  On a recent flight, I spent some time reflecting, and realized that there are six lessons I have learned that make the journeys quicker, happier, and better.  Leadership takes many Read more […]

  • Silly Spiders: 3 lessons in a roomful of cobwebs

    I’m currently staying at a friend’s house in Kampala. The other evening, after dark, I crept into the darkness of the bathroom, reached under the sink, and pulled out a can of bug spray.  I then went to my bedroom (also dark) and sprayed the heck out of it, and then closed the door and…

  • 5 Things to Do When People Disappoint You

      We have all had days like yesterday was for me.  It felt like everywhere I turned, I learned about someone near-and-dear who had let me down.  The spectrum went from the extreme of betrayal—involving heart-deep issues—to a mild notion of carelessness on social media. As I reflect on Read more […]

  • The Curious Case of Walking in Circles

    “Why are you running up the stairs only to run back down again?”  A little boy, maybe four-years-old, just asked me this during my daily workout in the park.  Part of my routine is to run up and down the steps at the front of the Museum of Natural History.  I do several laps before…