Category Archives: gratitude

Owning Our Leadership: Ethos Self-Efficacy Session 2

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How do you lead?

I like to ask a question at the start of a post because it feels like an invitation… Like I’m starting a conversation. Because the purpose of this blog is not just to express my own thoughts and ideas, but to connect with others who are willing and excited to engage with them and me. I just never know when, where or who the next great connection will be, and it’s one of the best uncertainties in life.

As I prepared for my second self-efficacy session at Ethos today, all I wanted to do was explore questions. I know my own approach to leadership, how I have evolved in my own practice of it, etc. And I am happy to ‘impart’ any of that to anyone who asks, but these self-efficacy sessions are meant to stimulate attendees’ own explorations and assessments. I am simply the facilitator. So I came with more queries than teachings. Looking back, I wish I had invited more questions as well. Learning for next time!

The group was small, five of us who know each other already, three who attended my first session in March. No dry erase writing this time, just slow, thoughtful reflection and sharing. I know now that regardless of audience size or composition, I can show up loving and present, and navigate any dynamic with a strong rudder of openness and connection. And I’m rewarded so generously every time.

Words that recurred today included energy, empathy, together, expectation, growth, awareness, humility, discomfort, vulnerability, and love, among others. I will continue to reflect on my friends’ insights and expressions, and learn from them. Please find below the questions I prepared, as well as a few that emerged in conversation. We did end up discussing most of them, without feeling rushed or forced. It all flowed in easy, loving exchange. We led ourselves and one another in exactly the way I had hoped we would, and I am nothing but grateful.

I hope you experience excellent leadership in your life, dear reader–both of you and by you. And if you are unclear or unsure how to lead well or better, may opportunities for clarity and confidence meet you soon on your journey.

Oh, and in case you have not already considered:
Assuming you are a leader in any given space, regardless of title or status, how does this affect/change how you show up, to yourself and to others?
If you knew you could lead from any chair in the orchestra of your family, your work organization, and humanity, how would you play?

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Ethos: Own Your Leadership
June 22, 2025

Curious – philosophical – concrete –> Apply

Why here today? Curious about…?
What is leadership?
How do we know we’re being led?
How do we know we’re leading?

What is your first act of leadership in memory (mine was in preschool)?
–What was the outcome/consequence?
–What did it teach you?

What is your leadership style and (how) does it change with context?
–How has it evolved over time (drift)?
–Any seminal experiences that shifted it?

How do we feel when led well?
How do you want those you lead to feel–about themselves, the work, and you?
–How does this inform how you show up?
–How do you think/assume/// they want to feel?

What feedback have you gotten about your leadership?
What feedback have you given about others’?
What are the compontents of effective feedback, both giving and receiving?

This Moment

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5 talks to prepare in the next eight weeks.
Blog post to write.
Dinner to cook.

But all I wanted to do is write to my friend. Not just jar smiles, but a letter. Connect in long form, right now. Because this was a big week and weekend and I wanted to share it.

Daughter graduated high school and turned 18 on the same day. Family came and went from my house for six days in a row; I woke up each morning having to run the list to keep track of everybody. Our family has been through things over the years; getting to this point of pending empty nest was, at times, not guaranteed. We got through it all together, one breath at at time. This moment is a big deal in our family. This moment is a big deal for our country. All of this on my heart, I wanted to do nothing but write to my friend, before any of my other tasks and obligations. I’m getting better and braver at letting my intuition guide me, and I have yet to regret it.

Turns out I want to share what I wrote with all of you, too:

“…I write to you today because this moment in life feels important. The No Kings protests marched all across the country yesterday as most of my family were basically offline and absorbed in ourselves. We read about the two political shootings in Minnesota and I felt a little guilty not participating in any larger demonstrations of my values. And I reconciled it by attending to the connections in my own tight circle. We have disagreements and friction within my own family and I see my navigating and mediating these peacefully and mindfully as an important contribution to society–small and mighty. 🙂

“There are so many calls to ‘fight,’ so many adversarial, us vs. them, good vs. evil narratives surrounding us right now. And while I abhor so many actions taken by ‘leaders,’ I still resist to call them evil and dehumanize them… That feels antithetical to the ethos of love and connection that I wish/strive to live by… But OMG it is challenging to resist that ad hominem train! *sigh*

“…This weekend I begin creating five new talks for this summer, to be delivered to [XXX corporation]… As I consider how to address their wellness challenges, many of which are relational, I come back, as I so often do, to core principles of humility, curiosity, empathy, and connection. My intent is to light the spark of togetherness, mutual caring and uplift, and collaboration, starting with the premise that we all matter, and that no matter what chair we occupy in the orchestra, we can and do lead from exactly where we sit. Each and every one of us matters to the whole–WE ARE THE SYSTEM–and embracing that fundamental first principle changes everything–don’t you think? If we all matter, then I need to know how I affect you, and vice versa. We need better self-awareness, self-regulation, and effective communication skills to get the work done and not burn out doing it! And having talked to people and learned how we operate individually and in groups my whole career, I feel qualified to help here! And who knows–this could be the start of something that grows; I could possibly help more people than just my one patient at a time! SO many possibilities!”

This moment, my friends.

We get to decide how we show up, and for what, over and again, in resilient, optimistic learning and persistence, in love and connection, in faith and confidence that we can do what is needed to heal the ragged tears in our social fabric, one encounter, one conversation, one relationship at a time.

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The Power We All Have

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Thinking about power: Our power to impact others and vice versa. What if we were all more aware, even by a little, of the impact (or potential impact) we have on any/all people we meet, even in the smallest, most transient encounters? What if we were all just a little more reverent to that profound (I think it’s profound) power and potential–how would we be and do differently?

Power To, as Brené Brown says. To make someone’s day a little better or a little worse. To hold people up or cut them down. To lead by example, to foster connection, to make a difference.

Sometimes Power To becomes Power Over, when our attitudes, behaviors, words, and actions hold influence over others and cause harm, even without our intention or knowledge. This reality holds particular importance today, on Mother’s Day. As many of us celebrate moms and their awesomeness, some are reminded of less than stellar maternal-child experiences. Parents hold so much power, and too often we wield it mindlessly.

Our families of origin shape us in ways that can last our whole lives. We also have agency to walk our own paths, however challenging it may be to loosen those family ties. It often takes a fair bit of inner work, to say the least, and I’m convinced we can almost never do it alone. From childhood on, it’s our best relationships with other humans, family or not, that save us. Those who love and support us, who tell us the truth and require the same from us, who hold us accountable to our own values and integrity, and who stay by our sides despite our faults and errors, save us.

“Tell me about your emotional support network,” I ask patients every year. I’m always a little sad when someone doesn’t quite understand the question. I celebrate when someone tells me how it’s stronger now than before.

I don’t expect that we spill our deepest secrets to strangers, or that we share personal things with everyone in our circles. I just wish for us all to walk around with a little more humility, curiosity, generosity, and kindness by default. What assumptions do we make about our fellow humans on the street? We show up differently when we assume everyone is out to con or harm us, from when we think we are all here doing our best, taking care of ourselves and our families. What if we meet people remembering that we all benefit from a little more empathy and understanding, and setting a goal to provide that for one another, even in the smallest ways?

How much can and do you impact those around you?
I bet it’s more than you realize.