Now that another Thanksgiving is in the rearview mirror, let’s not miss the opportunity to reflect on what we’re most grateful for. I’ve personally had Thanksgivings in the past that were a stressful crush of relatives and gatherings where I didn’t pause and make time to inventory what I’m grateful for. 

Increase financial literacy, get educated, adopt an agile, lifelong learning mindset, periodically unplug from social media, advocate for changes to our educational system to improve the skills of critical thinking, creativity, and decision-making, do what you can to reduce your impact on the planet, and understand when you’re being played by politicians and the media. We are all in this together. Support your neighbor, get to know individuals from other cultures and other parts of the world.

My advice is instead of looking down your nose and denigrating members of the generations that follow you, lend a hand. Use your gifts to mentor, lift up, and inspire those who are less experienced than you are.

Working with Intention: Self-reflection and the use of the five whys requires an open mind and a strong ego in order to challenge potential unconscious bias and consider answers that may not be popular or fit neatly into existing narratives. Hence, it's seldom the case that meaningful results come solely from self-reflection exercises. To make more progress, we will need the help of our coaches and mentors.

The sources of insecurity abound. Jealousy, unresolved failure, challenging relationships, lack of skill/education, poor planning, bullying, institutionalized bias, and the absence of a sense of belonging are but a few. To punch the point regarding the fluid nature of insecurity, just spend a little time with the preceding list and explore how easy it is to find examples where these issues apply both at home and at the office.

As time passes, the business matures, growth slows, and entropy sets in. Leaders and team members pull their heads up and take a look around at the state of their business. The common refrain goes something like this: “Wow, how did our culture deviate so far from our original intention? We need to get back to growth mode, but we also need a culture that will facilitate further growth, not impede it!”

I propose that when we teach and coach the human skill of integrity, we must also add the words empathy, compassion, and understanding. As a result, the definition of integrity can be simplified to: Integrity: Compassionately doing the right thing.

The consistent truth to the creative process is that the only way “there” is “through.” To cut straight to the point today is that the skill of patience is woefully underrated and under-appreciated. Knowing when to push forward and when to let a project or idea sit is an incredibly important skill—for content creators and business leaders. Patience is key. Sometimes, some things, just need to sit.

First and foremost, great teachers are great listeners. They are keen observers of the world around them. Yes, they love to lecture and impart information and counsel, but one of the most important aspects of teaching is listening to the diverse needs of students to gain an understanding of where the student is, so they can be met where they’re at. A great teacher knows when to talk and when to shut up, observe, and listen.

To begin, it’s important to state what I hope is the obvious—that the number one job of all leaders and managers is to be a coach to their teams and team members. Unfortunately, in many organizations, coaching is viewed as a ‘nice to have’ and is not encouraged as the priority it should be. There are all manner of excuses for this lack of focus on coaching.

What’s the minimum bar for success for this self-reflection exercise? Were you able to connect with your breath and feel the rhythm of your heartbeat? If yes, then AWESOME! You just took a few huge steps forward.

Turns out that the answer to the question are you coachable is more difficult than most folks realize and it will take multiple sessions of self-reflection to make meaningful progress toward the answer.

The point I’m driving at is that while you as a leader may do just fine with the ambiguity of unfinished goals—simultaneously cleaning up last year’s mess and rolling out shiny new initiatives, many of your people detest loose ends, unfinished business, and incomplete goals.