Do you ever think about what is most critical to succeed in an organization, be it public, private or non-profit?

I recently participated in a survey rating the most important leadership competencies in a successful organization and asking about current leaders’ strongest and weakest competencies.

In November and December I was asked to deliver sessions on Stress Management, Work Life Balance, and Burn out for two different organizations in preparation for the holiday season.

In reflecting on the coaching and team development work I have delivered over the past quarter, the leadership competency that surfaced as the greatest area of concern was Emotional Intelligence (EQ).

Engaging employees, retaining talent and building a succession plan to ensure you have the right people to fill the right positions at the right time requires an ongoing investment in your employees.

In preparing for a presentation I was delivering on Emotional Intelligence I discovered many references to mindfulness and practicing mindfulness in developing Emotional Intelligence.

Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision, or powerful ideas.

How many of you have read the popular book, The Five Behaviors of a Dysfunctional Team by Patrick Lencioni?

Organizations today express concerns about generational leadership and succession and wonder what is required to ensure they have the talent in place to lead their organization into the future.

We recently sent out a survey soliciting input on what individuals believed were the order of priority for 5 critical leadership qualities.

Recently we were delivering training to a group of executives who are committed to developing their internal leadership talent by personally facilitating monthly learning forums.

One of the assessments we use for understanding someone’s thinking and decision making is the Thinking Pattern Profile.

Every presidential election promises to deliver positive reforms that alter the business climate.

I am currently working on a Military project developing leadership competencies within a civilian division working on board ships.

I worked in the City of San Diego’s Diversity Commitment back in the mid-late 90’s where I learned the behaviors associated with sexism and gender bias.

I began to think about how challenging it can be in organizations today when a “younger” employee is asked to show an “older” employee how to perform a task such as the use of the new technology. Can we accept the generational differences and appreciate what each can contribute to each other and to the organization?

Last weekend, I was playing soccer at the center mid-field position, my favorite position. Much to my surprise and disappointment, I was playing against the same person I had played against the prior two weekends.

I have had the pleasure of collaborating on a number of occasions with a successful global pharmaceutical company that has invested the time, energy and expense to create customized competency models and corresponding development pathways for three critical positions in their organization.