If you’ve listened to the podcast, you know that culture is my middle name. Culture — the values of your organization and the behaviors they drive — is queen.Organizations with strong, intentional cultures generally adapt more quickly, ride economic and other waves more successfully, have better retention rates, and get more done. On today’s episode, we’re talking about a few cultural/values differentiators. What creates a strong culture, and what sets a cultural superstar company apart? Thanks for

As a leader, there are three general components to your work experience: you, your team, and the work you do.How you think about these things, and the priority you give them, can make a huge difference in how you experience your role overall and your day-to-day. Today on the podcast, I’m contrasting two different models of leadership and the different results they create for you when you’re in one of these models. If you’ve ever wanted to drive up engagement, effectiveness, positive team culture,

The habits of an organization either build culture or erode it.In our 2nd Culture Eroder (Culture Builder) episode, we’re talking about indecision. Indecision is slow and heavy; it weighs down your organization rather than creating energy and momentum. It can look like a lack of ownership, putting off decisions, or taking too long to make them. And the antidote is clear, right-speed, well-owned decision making. We’ll talk about all of it on today’s episode. Thanks for listening. Hungry for more of

On today’s Joyful Leader, we’re talking more about decisions.Specifically, how to break down a decision into its component parts — or anatomy — and how doing this can help us make the right decisions in the right amount of time. Whether you’re applying this to your own life, to your team, or to your company, this breakdown will be tangible and immediately implementable. Thanks for listening. Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles,

Decisions are how we move forward and generate momentum in our lives and work. We decide, we move forward, we learn . . . lather, rinse, repeat.Over the next few episodes, we’re going to talk about decisions — what they are, how to make them at the right pace, and what makes a decision good. We’re starting with the idea of full decision-making. Or, acknowledging and understanding that every decision we make has a no that corresponds to its yes. And vice versa. So often, we make decisions for

In my community, we do goals. We love goals. Setting them, achieving them.And, we do goals in some very specific ways. Today I’m sharing my rules for goals, starting with the biggest and most important: goals are about skill-building, and never, ever about worth-building. Let’s talk more — about what this means, about the other goal rules that will help you have an amazing relationship to your own growth, and about how to apply the same rules to support, supervise and catapult the growth of your

Our emotions are like fuel in our tanks.They take us where we need to go, and like actual fuel, have different properties. Some burn clean for miles and miles. Others burn hot and fast and powerful over a short distance. Today on Joyful Leader, we’re talking about emotions as fuel — why willpower is only useful to a point, and how to fill your tank with the fuel that will take you the distance. Thanks for listening. Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com

Last week we discussed purpose — and how it is always internal, never external. In our lives, we choose containers in which to express our purpose, including our jobs.This week, we’re exploring a specific aspect of this — feeling like you’ve lost your connection to purpose at work. If you’ve been there, you know. Feeling like the thing you're doing no longer lights you up like it used to. Tune in to talk about why this happens. And of course, what to do about it. Thanks for listening. Hungry for

I hear from a lot of people that they are looking for — or haven’t yet found — their purpose. In today’s episode, we’re going to clarify where purpose lives. And where it doesn’t.So many of us think of purpose as a thing — something outside of ourselves that will light us up when we finally encounter it. But this definition has us looking in the wrong place, and can make us feel like we’re on a never-ending, futile search for an elusive and magical grail. Boo to that. Let’s look for purpose where

An essential part of leadership is knowing where to direct your attention.Given the number of things we have on our plates at any one time and our finite attention, how do we choose? Today, we’re talking about a simple tool for directing your attention and honing your instincts about what to give your attention to. This tool is also exceptional for developing your team members' leadership instincts and the collective awareness of your entire team. Thanks for listening. Hungry for more of the

On a regular basis, my clients bring up observations about the way their companies operate, often in the context of their leadership teams. They notice default communication styles, teaching styles, decision-making processes . . . and many other behaviors and attitudes that set tone and culture at their organizations.And, sometimes, they feel like their observations are just about them. They’ll say, “It’s not a big deal, it’s just my preference, so it’s fine.” And I always lovingly interrupt them

During this episode of Holding Space, Dr. Joan Collier and Kaylin Padovano consider how we can cultivate inclusive environments through bridgebuilding. Unlike debating or seeking to change minds, bridgebuilding invites curiosity and understanding even amid disagreement as we work toward shared concerns. The conversation also highlights the recently-launched Bridging the Gap Program by Rutgers University Equity and Inclusion in partnership with Interfaith America.

In this episode of Holding Space, Dr. Joan Collier is joined by Dr. Ralph Gigliotti, who helps expand our idea of what it means to be resilient. Instead of simply "bouncing back," resilience can be thought of as a dynamic process that involves healing as well as the willingness to envision a future beyond existing crises.

Conflict is bound to arise amid the different values and expectations people hold in the workplace. To manage it effectively, conflict navigation specialist Frieda Hoffman asks listeners how they can shift the quality of the conversation to support more productive interactions. By naming and addressing potential ruptures in relationships, one can foster generative conflict for the sake of a stronger future together.

During this episode of Holding Space, Dr. Joan Collier, Dr. Crystal Bedley, and Kaylin Padovano reflect on the 'Navigating Tensions, Affirming Communities' Speaker Series, which helped launch our campaign to 'Meet the Moment with Humanity.' Each guest lecturer spoke to a critical element of community building, from rejecting polarization to respecting everyone's inherent dignity. In times of tension, being able to engage across differences can ultimately help us approach difficult dialogue with

Confidence and arrogance are VERY different things. They are both emotions, but come from different mindsets, and look very different.AND YET. :) We sometimes confuse them. We think that our confidence will come across as arrogance. We also often think of arrogance as all bad, and judge it harshly in ourselves and others. Today on Joyful Leader, we’re breaking down each of these emotions. We’ll talk about their differences, why a nuanced understanding of them is important, and how to tell them

We use so many tools throughout our lives and work — project management, life management, mind management. Tools, systems, frameworks, and rubrics are everywhere. These things are designed to help us, to make our lives easier and more efficient. But every tool can be turned into a weapon.Today we’re talking about using your tools for you, instead of turning them into weapons against you. We’ll talk about what this means, how you know you might be doing it, and what to do instead. Thanks for

We’re talking about how to think about the process of change — which is essentially rewiring your brain. When we change anything, we switch from an existing brain habit to a new one.Today we’re discussing how this process FEELS like it should just happen overnight, as soon as we become aware of us. That would be fantastic. But in reality, the process is like building muscle. Repetition is what creates tone and strength. I share more about this in today’s episode and walk you through how we

Every time we change anything in our lives — habit, relationship, attitude, anything — we are essentially rewiring the brain. We’re creating new patterns of thought, feeling, and action.Many times, our existing patterns have been around for a very long time. Creating new ones doesn’t happen overnight. Today and next week, I’m sharing how I help my clients avoid frustration along the way — by sharing the two ideas that make the process of rewiring your brain feel like progress and momentum. Today,

Get ready to connect all the dots.In the last several episodes, we’ve been talking about using time well, and today, we’re bringing all the concepts together in a step-by-step guide to planning your week. This process gives you time for your highest priorities, clarity, allowance for emergencies, and a greater sense of calm about your week. Thanks for listening. Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to