A Message of Gratitude
After 12 years of working together, my dear friend and editor, Andria Flores is leaving my writing team to focus on her business as a freelance editor and writer. I want to publicly thank Andria for her friendship and for taking me from a baby writer to where I am today, for being there on […]
You Must Get These Two Ingredients Right As a Leader
A few weeks ago I prepared to chair an important meeting for a big board I am on. There were several hot topics I added to the agenda, and quite honestly, I was a bit anxious about how the meetings would go. After I prepared and talked to leaders of the organization and few members […]
From Deep Division to Strong Bonds
Recently the Prime Minister of Japan addressed both Houses of Congress in the United States in a speech of solidarity and friendship. Fumio Kishida started by remembering the years he lived with his family in Queens, NY. His speech was abundant with words of affirmation for the friendship between Japan and the United States. In […]
Do You Make People Feel Something?
Julia Whelan, a successful audiobook narrator, was recently interviewed by Brian Bartes on his podcast. We usually take for granted that audiobooks are right at our fingertips, a click away, without thinking about everything that goes into creating one. I learned from this podcast that there is a whole world of narration and narrators. One […]
What Does Micro-Messaging Reveal About You?
A few months ago, a person close to me got on my case—and for good reason. In meetings with her, I often arrive five to ten minutes late. I was so grateful for her feedback that I have now remedied my tardiness. What does a leader communicate in one or two instances of being late? […]
The Best Approach to Monitoring Emotions
Part of my time during every new-staff orientation at our organization is to give a talk about emotions. I encourage our staff members to consider routinely sharing their emotions with someone in their life that they are close to, such as a spouse or trusted confidant. When people understand the emotions a loved one wrestles […]
How to Avoid Frustration with Others
As leaders, if we are not careful, we end up spending so much emotional energy on managing, explaining, and dealing with frustrations related to why people do or don’t do what we think they should. The source of our frustration is expecting people to do something they are not doing and believing it is because […]
Leading Someone from an Honor/Shame Culture
In 1990 at the age of 14, I emigrated with my family to the US from Lebanon. I came from Beirut to Mobile, Alabama—quite a difference in culture to say the least. As I learned the customs of the United States, I noticed a difference in the perception of family between cultures. The family unit […]
Three Wrecking Balls That Impact Unity
I was born at home in Beirut, Lebanon in 1976 because war was raging on the first day of my life. It was the beginning of a 15-year civil war that killed about 6% of the Lebanese population. To say Lebanon was divided would be an understatement. The country was ripped apart by regional geopolitical […]
Real Reasons Unity is a Must
In yesterday’s article, I encouraged you to rate the level of unity in different spheres of your life, and that is the first step. Before you can devote yourself to maximum unity in any area of importance, you must be willing to do the hard work of any leader to create and protect unity. Below, […]