Blue Fjord Leaders Blog
The Voice for Insightful Leadership with Shelley Row, P.E.
Motivation: Tips to Give (not Take) Clout
The brain really likes feeling important, but it’s not just about giving out raises or promotions (although that’s okay, too). As a manager, there are simple ways to activate the brain’s reward response by helping people feel important and give them a sense of clout....
It’s Not Fair! Three Ways to Combat Unfairness
“But it’s not fair!” Have you ever heard that from someone on your staff or from a frustrated colleague? At one time or another, everyone has felt the pangs of unfairness. There’s a reason for that. The brain is wired to easily detect and react to perceptions of...
Connection: We Feel Good When We Feel Connected
Is there someone you work with who could use a little motivation? Could you use a little motivation? You can’t motivate someone else if you can’t motivate yourself and, frankly, we could all use a little motivation sometime. Too often we think of motivation as money...
To Counteract Uncertainty: Stabilize
There’s a reason that we experience resistance to change whether it’s us personally or staff. The brain wants the world it experiences today to be as expected based on its past. The brain likes “the way we’ve always done it before.” That’s easy, comfortable and...
Control: Take It or Give It
Is there someone you work with who could use a little motivation? Could you use a little motivation? You can’t motivate someone else if you can’t motivate yourself and, frankly, we could all use a little motivation sometime. Too often we think of motivation as money...
Three Tips to See Past Your Wiring for Good Decisions
You’re wired to see what you already believe. It’s a simple statement but the implications for decision-making are complex. What you already believe is built layer upon layer from your experiences which create a filter through which you see the world. Good...
Blue Fjord Leaders Newsletter with Shelley Row, PE, CSP
Your place for short, easy-to-read articles on management, leadership, decision-making, and personal & professional development.
Featured Blog Posts
Give the Gift of Attention: Three Steps You Can Take Today
As Thanksgiving approaches in a couple of weeks, let’s turn it upside down. Rather than giving thanks, let’s give those around us something to be thankful for. Here’s the perfect gift – your attention. A friend recently said to me, “The most precious gift you can...
When to NOT Trust Your Gut
Meet my brother-in-law, Jerry Trimble. Jerry has been flying helicopters his entire life. His mom has a photo of him as a two-year-old sitting in a helicopter reaching for the stick. (He’s adorable. He would hate me saying that which makes it even more fun.) He’s...
Make Your Meeting More Productive: Take the Emotional Temperature
Taking the temperature of the room doesn't mean too hot or too cold. It means taking the emotional temperature of the people in the room. Taking the emotional temperature gives you an edge to enhance productivity. Here's an example. It was an exhausting meeting, but...
Make Your Mark: Three Steps to Get Started
The chances are good that you haven’t heard of Gustav Vigeland. But his single-minded focus on one concept has much to teach us. He is the Norwegian sculptor whose life’s work is on view in Vigeland Park in Oslo. He created hundreds of bronze and stone figures...
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