It is Time to Check-In

Dr. Blake

It is quite easy to start living life on auto-pilot. Routine becomes the rails on which the train of life runs. Having developed systems for streamlining our lives, we can go through much of life without much examination or reflection. Periodically we need to stop the merry-go-round and take a good look at where we are and make needed adjustments. Do not think I am saying that your life is…

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VUCA

Dr. Blake

This is in reality an acrostic. Volatility Uncertainty Complexity Ambiguity The term comes from the late 1980s to early 1990s with the fall of the former USSR. This term created to assist military leaders in dealing with uncertain and volatile times. It was a way of applying the leadership principles of Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus. The term originated in the War College. Regardless of how the name originated, it…

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The Half-Way Point

Dr. Blake

Having just passed the halfway point for the year, it seems like a good time to see where we are regarding our goals and plans for the year. The unexamined life is not worth living said, Socrates. You should evaluate where you are more than twice a year. The halfway point is time to take a ‘deep dive’ and really see where you are progressing, what changes you need to make,…

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A Good Leader: Develops leaders. Moses and Joshua

Dr. Blake

There is a lot mentioned today about leadership development, mentoring, and finding your successor. My observation is that all of these things are not taking place on a large scale. There have been numerous explanations offered: “I could not find a mentor. I could not locate a mentee. Conferences on leadership development are cost prohibitive.” Some have said that they could not find a system that resonated with them. There…

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What Is A Leader?

Dr. Blake

What are the characteristics, attributes, and skills that go into the making of a leader? There may well be dozens of items that could be listed allow me to list nine: Honesty/integrity. There is no school to attend, no course to take and no immunization that will make you an honest person. You either are or you are not an honest person. Integrity and honesty are much like oxygen, not…

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How To Deal With Disappointment​

Dr. Blake

Have you ever been disappointed? Yes, I am aware this sounds like a rhetorical question. Everyone experiences disappointment, and experiences it often. How do you handle disappointment? Disappointments unchecked can run through our lives and create havoc and chaos if left unchecked. How do you handle and respond to the disappointments that come your way? I have nine steps that I follow: Is it as bad as it seems at…

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How Do You Know You are Heading In The Right Direction?

Dr. Blake

You do not have to read much today to be made aware of the fact that everyone is ready and willing to give you advice! There are times when you wonder “am I the only person who does not have life figured out?” Many people seem confident that they are on the right track. At times you are left to wonder if this true or just over-confident bluster? Today let…

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What do you think?

Dr. Blake

Let’s talk about thinking. Not only is it important what you think, do you take the time to think? Thinking is a double-edged sword not only can it be hard work but while engaging in it we can feel like we are wasting time! Thinking is work and when we engage in it it does at times feel like loafing or “goofing-off.” Yet to keep running and not thinking and…

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The Power and gift of obscurity and annonymot​​i​y

Dr. Blake

Moses was rescued from the river where his mother put him in a floating basket. The daughter of Pharoah found him. He went from being a Hebrew baby floating on a river to being the son of Pharoah’s daughter! Plucked from a nearly nameless existence a nobody to being raised in the most famous house in the country. Moses started out adrift on a river his family just fighting for his…

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