Awareness

Returning to Our Nature

Returning to Our Nature

When was the last time you stepped outside and inhaled deeply? Perhaps you can recall a time you let your toes be tickled by grass, or stood in awe at the base of a mountain wall made of stone, craning your neck to see the blue sky. When was the last time gravel crunched under your feet, or a babbling brook laughed as it gurgled on by, while you sat, simply watching on stones nearby?

Barriers to Compassion

Barriers to Compassion

Learning to move past resistance, restraint, and roadblocks is a key part of personal and leadership development. Barriers to practicing our innate capacity for compassion can show up in many different ways. Let’s explore three barriers to compassion - distraction, judgment, and fear – and how we can intentionally move to the full expression of our compassionate nature.

Slow Compassion

Slow Compassion

The relationship between compassion and perceived time pressure has been known for a long time. From the well-known study, “From Jerusalem to Jericho” nearly fifty years ago, to our research with participants in our training cohorts, the feeling that there is not enough time impairs one’s ability to act compassionately. Ironically, the solution doesn’t come from working faster, but in slowing down.

The Wisdom of Nature

The Wisdom of Nature

Happy Earth Day 2021! Earth Day reminds us of the interconnection of everyone and everything, and the opportunity to reflect on how that profound wisdom can influence our lives and our leadership. Today, and every day, take a pause to acknowledge this amazing globe on which we live and the role we play in sustaining it.

A Year of Equity for All

A Year of Equity for All

February is over, and with it, so is Black History Month. The significance and meaning of Black History Month shouldn’t be limited to one month a year – the shortest month of the year at that. The time is right to take steps to turn Black History Month into a full year of supporting equity for all.

Compassionate Leadership Practice Series: Listening with Presence

Compassionate Leadership Practice Series: Listening with Presence

Hearing is one of our five basic senses: we perceive an external sound via our ears. To listen, however, requires our attention. This practice helps us listen with presence, which is becoming a lost art in the backdrop of constant distractions, disconnection, and discontent. We offer this brief exercise to reignite our listening skills, crucial to effectively connect with others.

The Power of Compassionate Greeting

The Power of Compassionate Greeting

Every time you meet another person, you have an opportunity right from the start to influence the flow of your relationship. A positive greeting can quickly jumpstart an environment of flourishing. These three principles will help you establish as positive a relationship as possible from the first hello, wave, or elbow bump.