Psychological safety—a shared belief among team members that it’s OK to speak up with candor—has become a popular concept. However, as its popularity has grown, so too have misconceptions about it. Su...

I've had the opportunity to lead several small groups and team meetings based on the ideas presented in 5 Love Languages and the workplace-centric version, 5 Languages of Appreciation. Understanding the needs and communication styles of those you're around makes nearly everything easy, better, and more meaningful. The Five Love Languages (5LL) by Dr. Gary Chapman was released in 1992. Chapman introduced the framework to help individuals express and receive love and appreciation in meaningful ways.

|Difference|Don’t aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference.Denzel Washington How is success best measured? The size of a paycheck? The new title? The brand you drive, wear, or carry? Have you ever stopped to wonder what people will remember about you—not for what you owned, but for what you gave to the world? We know that it's none of these things, and what matters is the indelible mark we leave on others and the change we bring within our circle of influence.

Encouragement can make the difference between a good day and a bad one. It's the ingredient that, for some reason, we can be stingy about sharing. Encouragement can speak life into someone, helping them pick themselves up and keep moving forward, even when (or maybe especially when) they didn't believe they could continue, let alone make it through. Encouragement, in all its various forms, can foster deep relationships and has a broader ripple effect than you might imagine.

Self-reflection is an essential ingredient for personal and professional growth. Making the intentional decision to slow down… quiet down, and consider your circumstances, the things you've learned, and what and how you want things to be different can reveal more than you imagine. I have a series of questions I use that I found in an HBR article entitled, not surprisingly, "How to Create Your Own 'Year in Review.'" I've modified how I use the questions and customized them for my conversations.

When "leadership" is mentioned, many ideas can come to mind. Vision. Decisiveness. Strength. Strategic. Competitive. All of these may be accurate. Many are desirable, but some, depending on how they are portrayed, may not. Two ideas have influenced my perspective on leadership. The first came from my business coach, who said, "The accumulation of little things is often more impactful than the one 'big thing.'" The second is a succinct quote from John Maxwell: "Leadership is Influence." These quotes added nuance to my experiences with the leaders in my life—both good and not-so-good.