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September 11 Reflections on Life and Leadership

There is enormous power in the human spirit and in community. We say that we should never forget 9/11. True. What we chose to remember is what matters. Let’s remember the togetherness and friendship we shared with strangers in our neighborhood and across the world those days and months….

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Who am I as a Leader? – On Finding your Leadership Style

How do you discover your own authentic leadership style and is there only one style that is truly your personal leadership approach?

These are questions we often ask ourselves.

A quick online search on ‘leadership styles’ will give you several different answers. Some articles list five, others six, another one ten and so on.

How do you know what expert to listen to and what list of leadership styles to use when selecting yours? Is there one style that fits everyone everywhere and always?

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A Mindful Mountain Moment

The part of Finland where I grew up had no mountains. It was flat. With a hill popping up here and there.  We would drive six hours north beyond the arctic circle to find a…

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The Seascape Escape

My favorite Disney movie is Moana. Set in the giant Pacific Ocean on an island. Why do I love Moana? It is not just the music, which I do enjoy, or the diverse characters. It is the splendid, friendly, dangerous, luring call of the sea that I love. And Moana, of course, a sensitive, strong and stubborn girl who listens to her inner voice telling her to ride the waves and save her community in the process of her own self discovery.

What does Moana have to do with wellbeing at work?

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Force From the Finnish Forest – How nature is your secret to success

Nature and as such the forest provides for us a well of wellbeing. The environment where we live influences our mood. Research shows that our environment can increase and reduce our level of stress, anxiety and even our heart-health. Spending even a short time in nature lowers our blood pressure, reduces anxiety, improves our mood and physical health.

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The Power or Perspective – Changing your Scenic View

Creating some mental and emotional distance to what your are experiencing or to your past can help your find new opportunities, creative solutions and reframe a painful past.
Think about what a frame is. It is something we place around a painting. The picture stays the same, but the frame can be changed. Different styles of frames bring out different aspects of the painting, or perhaps completely overwhelms it?

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Difficult Conversations made Easy – Part 2 During the Meeting

In episode 11 we looked at the six steps to take to prepare for a challenging conversation, they included among others, to have a clear goal, to check your assumptions, and to try to understand and anticipate the other’s goals and needs.
Let us imagine that you are now having that so called difficult conversation. Perhaps you are connected virtually by video conference. How do you start?
First focus on creating trust. How do we create trust? By communicating positive intentions, being honest and transparent in our messaging and my listening.

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