Blog Entries in Leading Below the Neck: Tales of Whole Leadership

We recently caught up with Andrew Elowitt, one of our FEBI Certified Coaches.  Andrew has been keeping himself busy with a thriving consulting practice, New Actions, and a book to be released this winter.  We asked Andrew to tell us about how the FEBI and Energy Patterns have been supporting his practice…

"I recently used the FEBI during an executive management team retreat for the North American business unit of a ... Read More

“Freud. Jung. Schlockbauer.” Thus begins my own story of an encounter with a remarkable psychologist you’ve never heard of who was the inspiration behind me becoming a psychologist. It’s also a classic “triple” as master story instructor, Doug Stevenson, would teach me in his workshop: Story Theater. Triples – where the 3^rd term is a surprise from the way the 1^st two lead your mind, and is a great technique in stories and humor. Doug would know; he has a long ... Read More

     My wife, Jennifer, works at a major hospital rehabbing extended stay patients. She has developed a reputation for not just her technical skills in physical therapy but also for her ability and care of her patients at an emotional level. If you know my wife this comes to no surprise as she has a contagious smile, is funny at all the right times and will fight passionately when it comes to others well-being.            

     Jennifer had a special connection with one ... Read More

I hear a lot of advice from other writers on things I can do to help me get my backside in the chair and get my thoughts onto page: turn off the internet, start by blocking minutes out of your day and work up to hours just like training for a marathon, start by doing a random writing exercise to loosen up, go over your research, drink wine, literally tie yourself to your chair.  That one is my ... Read More

In grad school I had a collaboration class where I, a writing student, was supposed to work with a film student and create a short film.  A professor from the writing department taught the class along with a professor from the film department so the instruction was also meant to be collaborative.  On the first day each student in the class was given a personality test to fill out and self-score.  Our scores were supposed to ... Read More

I typically need to experience something in order to understand it and learn it.  In fact for me this is primarily how my “ah ha” moments come about.  At first I was unsure of what to do with my FEBI results.  Even after going over it with Anthony and learning that I need to focus on Driver and Collaborator I wasn’t really clear on what it meant to me as a playwright.  And I definitely ... Read More

 I hate networking. There, I said it.  I just don’t like the idea of asking someone for something if there isn’t already some sort of established relationship, some clue that says, “Hey, I’m not using you to get what I want”. To me, the interaction is cheapened when it’s framed as networking and the word alone reminds me of when I was a kid and I was supposed to go door to door to sell candy for my school. I never ... Read More

Ever had one of those days?  It starts with a traffic jam, continues with phone calls and emails at work until finally BOOM…bring on the rage.  We can all think of times in which our own anger meter rises close to or over the top.  So what happens to us when we experience rage?  An article in this month’s edition of Psychology Today asked the question of how rage changes our physiology.  Here is what they found:

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You may have had, or are thinking about having, an executive coach. Perhaps you are a coach. Whichever side of coaching you’re on, the question often asked is: does executive coaching work? According to a recent article by Sarah Needleman in the Wall St. Journal (August 25, 2009), even in a year of downturns, executive coaching is up. Writes Needleman, “Individual and corporate clients say the one-on-one counseling is critical for career success, especially during tough economic times.” What is ... Read More

We know that playing with a dog can bring out Collaborator energy - tail wagging and all. And we know that Collaborator energy can be good for teamwork. Does it follow that a dog around the office could improve teamwork?  Apparently it does, based on research done by Christopher Honts and colleagues at Central Michigan University (The Economist, August 14, 2010). They gave 12 different teams the same assignment to come ... Read More

It is important to always acknowledge and celebrate all of life’s victories and transitions. Recently, in our own team, a celebration was in order and it was time to plan a party. The problem was that we were spread between Boston, Annapolis and Detroit. I thought to myself, how in the hell are we going to pull this off. Travel alone will make the party an expense one. Just as I was about out of ideas, one of my team members said, “Why don’t we ... Read More

I chanced by a television program my husband was watching just as Weldon Long was describing his comeback from prison, poverty and addiction in the Upside of Fear. What a story! His deceptively simple, authentically lived, acronymically-clever formula – F.E.A.R. – reminded me of truths we’ve known and taught in leadership programs for years, starting with F: Focus on what you want, not on the fear of what you don’t want. Sometimes called the “Law of Attraction,” his ... Read More

Just reconnected this week with a former client - a seasoned CFO who had been around the financial world as AIG was falling apart and Wall St. was in meltdown. I was curious to get his impressions of the role in leadership in all that mess – was it a failure in leadership? And, if so, what could we be doing ... Read More