The habits of an organization either build culture or erode it.This episode is the next installment of the culture eroder (and corresponding culture builder) series. And today’s culture eroder is: lack of ownership. Lack of ownership as a habit within an organization leads to a lot of heaviness — a sense of drag, protracted processes, and lack of clarity. It usually happens innocently, and for some predictable reasons. Today on the podcast, we’ll talk about what can cause it, what it looks like,

No amount of training will help your team grow as much as what you show them.Who you are as a leader — how you make decisions, who you consider when making them, how you approach problems, how you interact with other people — all of these things are more powerful teaching tools than any content or training outline. Today on the podcast, we’re talking about the greatest teaching and mentoring tool there is: role modeling. I recently had the joy of working with a group of exceptional role models, and

There’s an honest mistake that organizations make when hiring capable people.They think that someone’s capacity and depth of experience mean they will be autonomous and independent right away without a lot of guidance. Essentially, the mistake is thinking that hiring great people means you don’t have to do anything to set them up for success. Today on the podcast, I’m talking about why this couldn’t be further from the truth, and sharing the concept of accountable autonomy — in which an

Step one: build a strong culture.Step two: maintain a strong culture. Daily. It’s common to think that culture is something you build once and lasts forever. But really, your culture is ever-evolving. With every season, new hire, initiative, and priority shift, your culture is changing. Rather than being set-it-and-forget-it, maintaining a strong culture is a constant part of leadership. Tune in to talk about what this means, and to hear one of my favorite anecdotes about maintaining

There are many rubrics and wisdom out in the world about decision-making.Today on Joyful Leader, I’m sharing a tool to help you understand a decision before you make it. It’s a tool for deeper self-awareness and understanding. Using this tool helps you make decisions and take actions in line with your values, priorities, and integrity. I mean, come on. Who doesn’t want that? It’s something I use with clients all the time, and it’s a super simple process. Thanks for listening. Hungry for more of

Welcome to the next installment of the culture eroder (and corresponding culture builder) series. And today’s culture eroder is: power language.Power language is anything that draws conspicuous attention to power differentials within your team or organization. Power language can take the form of using titles when it’s not necessary, building mystery around certain meetings or decisions that not everyone is a part of, or many other things. Listen in to hear more about what power language is, why it

On the horizon is a series of episodes all about feedback . . . get excited. But today, we’re starting with a client request. Many of my clients have had a-ha moments in our conversations about feedback when we look at the real reason they’re not delivering feedback to a team member. So today we’re going to talk about the shift that turns the reason we think we’re not giving feedback into the actual reason we’re not giving feedback. And, how this one-word shift makes all the difference. Thanks for

This is Volume 1 of “For Those Who'll Come After“, a special series from Social Justice Origin Stories. In this series, storytellers reach across time, sharing messages and reflections for future generations, sharing what they want them to know, remember, and carry forward in the ongoing pursuit of social justice. 00:00 Introduction: The Power of Stories 00:28 Messages for Future Generations 01:31 Reflections on Perseverance 04:42 Balancing Joy and Struggle 06:02 Understanding Civics and

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.