In today’s fast-paced world, leaders struggle to juggle endless demands while inspiring their teams. This episode dives into the three dimensions of power—power over, power with, and personal power—helping you become a more mindful and purpose-driven leader. Whether you’re seeking to build stronger teamwork, co-create with your team, or tap into your intuition, this episode equips you with actionable strategies to stay ahead.

Here’s what you’ll gain from listening:

• A clear framework for understanding and applying the three dimensions of power in your leadership.
• Techniques to frame problems creatively and unlock your team’s collective genius.
• Strategies to master your mind and emotions, enabling you to lead authentically and foster trust.

Don’t miss this episode—press play now to uncover the secrets to leading with clarity, connection, and creativity and become the leader your team deserves.

Unlocking Self-Mastery and Personal Power to Foster More Teamwork

[00:32] – Meet Lisa Danel

In this episode, we’re joined by Lisa Danels, founder and executive director of Human Edge and author of The Human Edge Advantage: Mastering the Art of Being All In. Lisa shares her expertise in unlocking leadership potential, fostering more teamwork, and creating authentic connections in the workplace.

[02:12] – Early Leadership Lessons

Lisa reflects on her childhood and how self-awareness and emotional clarity helped her develop her leadership skills. She emphasizes how mastering yourself can lead to stronger teamwork and better decision-making.

[05:30] – The End of Command-and-Control Leadership

Lisa explains why traditional “command and control” leadership doesn’t work in today’s fast-paced, collaborative workplaces. Discover how shifting to “power with” can inspire teamwork and innovation.

[13:08] – The Power of Asking Better Questions

Learn how clarifying, empowering, and igniting questions can help leaders unlock their team’s creativity and encourage more teamwork. Lisa also shares the pitfalls of close-ended questions that limit progress.

[18:39] – The Three Types of Power

Lisa dives into “power over,” “power with,” and “personal power,” highlighting how personal mastery enhances your ability to lead collaboratively and build more teamwork across your team.

Co-Creation and Framing for Innovation

[33:11] – Framing Problems for Collective Genius

Lisa outlines how leaders can frame problems in a way that unlocks collective creativity. She shares strategies for fostering more teamwork by encouraging every team member to contribute their unique ideas.

[35:54] – Bringing a Brick, Not a Cathedral

Lisa introduces the concept of co-creation through “bringing a brick, not a cathedral,” where leaders provide the framework and allow their teams to build solutions together, leading to stronger teamwork and more innovative results.

[37:29] – Walking Around the Problem

Lisa discusses how stepping back and viewing problems from multiple angles leads to systemic solutions. This approach promotes deeper collaboration and, ultimately, more teamwork within the team.

[39:22] – Improv and Leadership

Discover how the principles of improv—like being fully present and co-creating moment by moment—can strengthen teamwork and spark creative breakthroughs within your team.

[41:01] – Practical Steps for Self-Mastery and Team Connection

Lisa wraps up by emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and curiosity for leaders. These traits not only enhance your personal leadership but also inspire more teamwork and authentic connections in your organization.

The post Leadership Skills for More Teamwork and Better Problem Solving appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

As for me, somehow each Groundhogs Day, I wake up with the curse of contemplation not of love and romance but of which areas of my life I have become more like Phil Madden (played by Bill Murray, in the 1993 classic, Groundhog Day.)

Phil is cursed to live the same day over and over (if you don’t know the movie click here and for goodness sake, rent it) until he finally recognizes the patterns, looks deeply into his own behaviors, and changes his approach.

A curse can become a blessing.

How many times have your heard someone say, “this feels like Groundhogs day?”

We all get stuck. We get stuck in patterns, in behaviors, in outdated beliefs about ourselves and others, in jobs.

A Few Groundhog Day Examples

I ran into a once young guy (no longer so young) who worked for me years ago.

“What are you doing these days?,” I asked eager to hear about what he had become and what he was learning.
“Oh, I’m still doing exactly the same thing.”
I was shocked and saddened.

This was a bright kid, full of energy, ideas, a great team player. Why had he gotten stuck in that job? Why hadn’t anyone continued asking/encouraging (okay pushing) him to accomplish his potential? Who else was left behind in this same organization?

And then. I talked to an old friend. She shared,

“I finally figured out that I keep repeating the same patterns, both in dating and in looking for jobs. I have this perfect list of what I think I want. I go after him or the job full tilt. I attract the guy, I get the job, and then I realize it’s not really what I want. I break up with the guy . I begin looking for a new job. I’ve got to find a way to interrupt that pattern.”

Another friend’s Christmas card read “nothing much new has happened for me this year, but I guess that’s the way it is at this age (see It’s Never Too Late to Grow Great)”

Breaking Your Groundhog Day Patterns

So today.

I wish for you my Groundhog Day Curse.

I hope you wake up tomorrow looking at your own shadows.

Where would you interrupt?

Is it time to smash the alarm clock?

• What patterns do you keep repeating?
• What routines do you wish you could change?
• Where is your team stuck?
• What processes and rituals no longer serve your vision?
• What if you interrupted the patterns?

The first step to getting unstuck is recognizing the patterns.

Of course, if you chose February 2 as your day of romance that sounds good too.

A worthy tradition.

The post A Groundhog Day Blessing or Curse? appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

A Guest Post from Sonia Di Maulo, Canada

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. ― Jonathan Swift 

Samuel picks up the slightest change in his environment. He senses that his mom needs a hug. And of course, mom is grateful. Later that afternoon, he deliberately annoys his little brother, and a mini-war ensues.

Samuel makes choices every day. At ten years old, sometimes he chooses well. What is it about his environment that leads him towards his choices?

Expectations

The connection he has with his mother is one of mutual trust, respect and love. In that environment, he is more in tune with the needs of the people around him. The connection he has with his brother has a heightened sense of competition added to the brotherly love. And so the same boy behaves differently in different situations.

As parents, how can we guide our children to align their words and actions to their values, independent of the environment? How can we help them infuse their surroundings with LIFE, based on LIFE-giving principles? With the ability to see the domino effect and to influence their future words and actions?

It starts with self-awareness.

A Dinner Activity: Making the Invisible, Visible

“Getting my kids to talk about the details of their days is hard enough”, you may be thinking, “How can I get them to increase their self-awareness to be able to see the connections that they affect everyday?”

At every dinnertime, I expect my kids to reflect on their days and to pick out one high point and one low point. This excellent game builds awareness of self and environment and boosts their ability to influence their future actions and words for the next daily report.

Game: High Point/Low Point

How to Play: Every member of the family shares the best part and lowest part of their day. Other family members listen and ask questions to get to the details.

Objective of the Game: Making visible, the lines that connect us all and increase self-awareness

Number of Players: 2 or more

Keys to Success: Consistent play every dinner time, make it fun, keep it short, show interest, encourage laughing and connection

Why Play? This game builds essential communication skills and cultivates family unity. It encourages:

• Thinking about, selecting, and communicating emotional events in their day
• Respectful listening to all members of the family
• Conversation
• Critical thinking and self-awareness
• Building leadership skills from a very young age (as soon as they can speak, you can play)

We’ve been playing this game for years, at dinnertime, during vacations, and on road trips. We built variations on the theme and turned it into: “What was the favorite/least favorite part of your vacation, of the movie, of your field trip” and so on.

Try it with your family for a month and let me know how it goes.

Sonia Di Maulo M.A. ― founder, author, feedback enthusiast, speaker, performance improvement professional and creator of award-winning programs ― is passionate about helping leaders cultivate trust and collaboration.

This post is part of the Virtual Blog Book Tour for Sonia’s book, The Apple in the Orchard: A story about finding the courage to emerge. Discover the new vision for the world of work and get a glimpse into the power of living systems as models for sustainability, collaboration, and growth. Purchase your copy at www.theappleintheorchard.ca. Visit the other stops on the Book Tour on her Harvest Performance Blog.

The post Making the Invisible, Visible For Our Children appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.