Blue Fjord Leaders Blog
The Voice for Insightful Leadership with Shelley Row, P.E.
Over-React? Use Your Emergency Tool Kit
Your expectations for the project were clear, but the staff didn't follow them. In the blink of an eye, the voice in your head explodes and you lose your composure. The team exchanges nervous glances and shuffles out of the room silently. You know they won't be silent...
Make Space for Thoughtfulness
The rain was steady as I waited in Starbucks. We planned to meet over coffee and talk about collaborating. As usual, I anticipated a busy day working through my to-do list - the one that stretched to infinity. Each day it felt like the list grew longer, and I hung on...
Are You Unknowingly Suppressing Your Personal Growth?
Across the bottom of Amazon’s book page it pronounces, “New for you…” Low and behold, there is a list of books based on my past purchasing history. I follow someone new on Twitter and up pops three more Twitter feeds with the caption “You might also want to follow.”...
Take a Long Weekend Off! Three Reasons Why it is Good for Business
"I can't go away for a long weekend," my over-thinking brain proclaims. "You have so much to do – programs to prepare for, articles to write, follow-up calls to make." But, I promised my husband a few days away. We planned to drive to the mountains of West Virginia,...
Flee the Workplace Fires: Five Factors to Consider
Again. It happened again. Twice in five years fire gobbled up trees, pastures, and homes outside of Smithville, Texas, my hometown. Nearly 5,000 acres and 40 structures burned, are today's numbers. Fire trucks bearing names like Gonzales, Bryan, Sequin, Nacogdoches,...
Three Steps to Rewire New Behavior
It was another one of those days. There were too many things on the to-do list to squish into the available time. I fretted and agonized. “How will it all get done?” The anxiety in my body mounted: tightness in my chest, knots in my stomach. “Oh no! You’re going to...
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
Perfect is Over-Rated
Six little girls about eight-years old, a mom with her small son, and me and my friend, Patti. We were at Painting With a Twist in South Austin. A blank, white canvas and a paper plate (a perfect substitute for a palette) with puddles of paint in vibrant colors was in...
Four Ways to Counteract Unintended Bias
Everyone has biases. The only thing worse than having a bias is not realizing that you do. It is in the knowing that there is opportunity to manage unintended bias. Humans are designed to crave relatedness. Millions of years ago your tribe was key to survival. Quickly...
Three Paddleboarding Tips for Leadership
It was a perfect, sunny day on Aberdeen Creek just off the Chesapeake Bay. There, in front of me, floating placidly, was a stand-up paddleboard. This was my first experience with a stand-up paddleboard. It looked unassuming but I was suspicious. How do I approach...
It’s Just a Croissant: Three Steps to Keeping Perspective
It was a few weeks before my husband, Mike, died. He woke from his nap snickering. “What is it, Sweetie?” He smiled and said he’d had a funny dream, “I was in a fight with a priest over my croissant.” At the time, Mike was barely eating. I could coax him to eat a...
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