The other weekend I took down and replaced a light fixture in our bathroom. For some, this may seem like nothing or just an average weekend project, but for me, it was one of many new things I have learned how to do and conquer on my own. Six months ago it would have been one of many items on my husbands ‘honey-do list’ as I typically try to avoid tasks where I can get shocked or zapped!

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Alex Perry, CEO of Practically Speaking, LLC, host of the Minivan Mogul Podcast, and author of Minivan Mogul: A Crash Course in Confidence in For Women. We hope you enjoy Alex’s wisdom and perspective.

As I sit down to write this, I'm already battling the little voice in my head that says, "Why are you trying to write a post on leadership? Seriously, Alex, stop, you're going to try to come up with something that sounds business-y (is that even a word), and you're going to sound ridiculous! Why don't you just leave this one to the experts and go back to scrolling through Facebook or something like that. What on earth could you have to say to professional people who don't make their living writing and talking about their adventures self-discovery in their minivans." ((sigh)).

I'm fighting the urge to make this sound like I think you expect it to sound and doing what I know works for me as a leader, which is writing exactly what I think. You didn't realize when you started this that you were going to get an express ticket to the inside of my brain. Welcome, please make yourself at home. Being true to myself as a leader is tough work that's only gotten minimally easier as I've gone along. Is the same true for you? (if not, feel free to scroll on over to another blog.)

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Kristine Hilger Carles, Executive Director of Leadership South Bend | Mishawaka. We hope you enjoy Kristine’s wisdom and perspective.

My oldest son, a senior in college, is an acting major. Through the experience of being a theater mom, I’ve learned that acting isn’t the chaotic creativity I once believed and that “going off script” is frowned upon in most situations. Acting, though inherently creative, has scripts, procedures, and norms.

Many aspects of life today, from project planning to decision making to meeting management are scripted for us. There is comfort in the script, security in our routines, assured results in our procedures. What happens, though, when an unprecedented pandemic obliterates our routines, and there is no choice but to go off script?

During our board of director’s meeting last fall, I shared the story behind the Miracle on the Hudson, and pilot, Sully Sullenberger’s, quick, creative landing which saved 150 passengers in 208 seconds. When Captain Sullenberger was asked to define his thought process in the middle of a life-threatening crisis, he attributed his unorthodox solution to a “could” approach.

I joined Gibson in February of 2002. While I don’t consider myself a historian of the firm, I have had the privilege of experiencing the growth of our company over the last 19 years. In an industry that can be prone to aggressive sales techniques and practices, I was attracted to Gibson because of the consultative and client-oriented approach to creating a great client experience.

I was very fortunate to have been mentored by some of the best risk management and insurance brokers in our business. Collectively they helped me become more curious and ask better questions of clients and prospects. The answers to the questions helped me to engage the right partners within Gibson to make the client experience better.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Chris Mills, Chief Operating Officer/Partner at ML Talent Strategies. We hope you enjoy Chris’ wisdom and perspective.

We think of business strategy as a three-legged stool. Each leg is distinct, yet all three legs must be integrated effectively to grow a dynamic, value-based enterprise.

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a MasterMind group comprised of fellow ISU alumni. The focus of this study group was the concept of resilience. During this 4-week MasterMind we covered a variety of insightful topics, but there was one topic that really stuck out to me: Antifragility.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Randy Taussig, Chief Navigation Officer at BlueCore Leadership and Certified EOS Implementer^™. We hope you enjoy Randy’s wisdom and perspective.

The ability to solve substantive business challenges could be the most important skill your leadership team must master.

It can either propel your business forward at light speed or, if done poorly, keep you orbiting through chaos and frustration. Beating business obstacles is one of the most difficult skills to master, but when you do, magic happens!

Building trusting teams is critical. A team can accomplish more and endure longer, together, than they can alone. It’s a key part of playing the infinite game.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Kim LaGrange, President of Prime Talent Insights. We hope you enjoy Kim’s wisdom and perspective.

Even though we are only halfway through 2020, we can be sure it will long be remembered as an incredibly challenging year for our country and our world. We might consider it to be the year of “uns”, since the events of 2020 are described as unprecedented, uncertain, unsettling, and perhaps even unbelievable.

Within today’s challenges, we can find opportunities – for our organizations and for our own growth as leaders. To quote management expert Peter Drucker, only three things happen naturally in organizations: friction, confusion, and underperformance. Everything else takes leadership. Leadership matters, today more than ever. Never has it been more important for a leader to be resilient, to be able to grow and to drive their organization’s growth, even in times of adversity. Seizing the possibilities and creating a great tomorrow is exciting and important work!

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Randie Dial, Managing Principal at CLA Indiana. We hope you enjoy Randie’s wisdom and perspective.

“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.”

The quote above can’t highlight the concept of gratitude any better. Practicing the act of gratitude in your organization can have such a tremendous impact on so many areas. Culture. Retention. Team. Growth. These are all areas many leaders are striving to attain but can’t quite achieve!

As leaders, we have high standards. We are driven by passion. That passion causes us to hold ourselves to the highest standards, which in turn causes us to expect a lot from our teams. Because of this, gratitude MUST become a part of our routine. As leaders, we need to be able to recognize and express gratitude consistently!