Sally, our lone survivor of the Great Chicken Massacre of May 2021, is a feisty hen.  While Sven is at the top of my flock’s pecking order, I’d bet money that Sally is the top hen.  I’ve seen her peck at the younger hens when they wanted to roost next to her at night or chase them away if they have a little morsel of treat that she wants for herself. Last year, she went broody in early spring, but we weren’t ready to add peeps to our flock. When I kicked her off her eggs every day to collect them, she would aggressively peck at me.  This occurred every day for over 3 weeks until she finally gave up.  She went broody two more times during the spring and summer before we finally agreed to let her hatch those eggs. When her chicks hatched, look out! Sally would fiercely

The tiny country of Estonia has birthed ten business unicorns* (including Skype). It is NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence despite having only a population of 1.5 million and a land mass just ½ the size of my home state of Georgia. They achieved independence from Soviet Russia without a shot being fired (see The Singing Revolution documentary) with their powerful culture of shared song, dance, and poetry. Their distinctive language survives even after 700 years of domination by surrounding empires. Estonians in their 30s are the first generation in all that time to be born free and have free-born children. Read that again. Let it sink in. I often share the story of Estonia with my small-business clients. Are you one of the smaller companies in your industry? Do you dream of an impact bigger than your size would suggest? Determined to shake things up in unexpected ways by being true to

Achieving 100% Rock Completion – Yes, it is possible During EOS sessions, setting “Rocks” is a pivotal practice for guiding organizations towards completing their quarterly goals/priorities. However, the challenge doesn’t end with setting these Rocks; the real test is in completing them. From my experience, the success rate of completing Rocks can significantly increase by adopting a systematic approach right from the start. Here’s a guide to help you and your team cross the finish line with your Rocks. Start Strong with the Golden 24-Hour Rule The first step towards ensuring the completion of your Rocks begins in what I call the “Golden 24-Hours.” I borrowed this concept from my friends at The Strategic Coach.  This period refers to the first 24 hours immediately following your EOS session. During this crucial time, the momentum is strongest and the commitment to your goals is most palpable. I recommend setting aside two

Leadership development is a complicated dance – both for the established leader and for the new leader. There are plenty of opportunities for missteps to be made on both sides. Let’s take a look at three areas where things can go wrong, and how to make them right. 1.EXPECTATIONS Established leaders: One of the toughest aspects of delegating authority is setting expectations. You may unknowingly make assumptions about what the new leader understands about his or her new role and responsibilities, setting both of you up for disappointment. To prevent this, you need to establish with absolute clarity details such as what the responsibilities are and how to perform them, what you want to be apprised of and when, and the outcomes you want to achieve and the timeline for them. If you realize along the way that you did not do a good job at setting expectations or that what

Leadership development is a complicated dance – both for the established leader and for the new leader. There are plenty of opportunities for missteps to be made on both sides. Let’s take a look at three areas where things can go wrong, and how to make them right. EXPECTATIONS Established leaders: One of the toughest aspects of delegating authority is setting expectations. You may unknowingly make assumptions about what the new leader understands about his or her new role and responsibilities, setting both of you up for disappointment. To prevent this, you need to establish with absolute clarity details such as what the responsibilities are and how to perform them, what you want to be apprised of and when, and the outcomes you want to achieve and the timeline for them. If you realize along the way that you did not do a good job at setting expectations or that

My chicken coach is always looking for ways to spoil her chickens.  I remember when she asked her husband to spend $50 on a chicken swing so they chickens could have something fun to play on and his response was there was no way they were spending that kind of money on a swing (I’m proud to say that I built my chickens a swing and all it cost me was the effort of assembling the swing out of recycled materials). My chicken whisperer takes her chickens for a walk after a good rain so they can eat all the worms on the driveway.   These chickens owners really love their chickens and in return, the chickens reward them with eggs o’ plenty. I enjoy my chickens as well.  I enjoy watching them, especially after making a change in their coop.  They are such inquisitive animals that they just can’t help