Blue Fjord Leaders Blog
The Voice for Insightful Leadership with Shelley Row, P.E.
Learning from the Danube: The Role of Stories, Purpose and Information in Decisions
Once upon a time, we sat together on our piano bench listening to a recording of Johann Strauss’ Blue Danube Waltz. The music floated along – pretty, but unremarkable to my school-girl ears. My dad, a school band director, explained to me that the music represented...
Shelley’s VideoCasts Leading Change Series
Watch and listen to Shelley's New VideoCast Series on Leading Change. No matter what your organization does, change can be tricky. But change is part of organizational life. Our world is changing faster than ever. The astute leader must understand change and...
Leadership Lessons from EMTs
By the time I arrived, she was groggy, clammy and complaining of chest pains. The emergency management technicians (EMTs) drove up to my mother's house in spite of me giving them the wrong address. Red lights reflected off the windows as they pulled into the driveway....
Three Reasons that “What Matters” Motivates
How many cathedrals are enough? After traveling over Europe I had enough of soaring cathedrals with vast interiors filled with church art and relics. But, my husband, born and raised a Catholic, has a cathedral fetish. And so it was that we walked around the outside...
Tune Your Brain for Optimal Performance
We didn't know where to go so we followed the throng of people. We jostled through the streets of Monaco under a blazing blue sky. We were traveling in southern France, and to our surprise we learned about the qualifying time trials that were taking place for the...
Effective Persuasion: Ten Things to Know and Five Things to Do
Have you ever tried to persuade someone and it did not go well? You have all the facts and data; you have a compelling case and the answer seems obvious – at least to you. Yet, they are not convinced and their arguments seem counterintuitive. This situation plays out...
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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