Inspiring Yourself When You’re Depleted

Exhaustion is in the air, but you can generate the vitality you need right now. We need first to understand why we’re all feeling depleted. There are two types of depletion: physical and psychological. We all know the signs of physical depletion and its remedy: take a walk, eat healthy food, do yoga, rest. But…

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I am what’s called a “people leader”—I lead individual contributors at a global software giant. I am also a technical contributor as a subject matter expert in a specific application. I don’t love managing people. I am quite reserved and I find it tiring—but it is the only way to get ahead in…

New Research Underscores Benefits of a Self Leadership Culture

A new study conducted by The Ken Blanchard Companies with 1,300 people in managerial and non-managerial roles found important correlations between an individual’s identification as a self leader and positive work behaviors. – People who exhibit the behaviors of a self leader are more likely to expend discretionary effort on behalf of their organizations. –…

Self Leadership Research

One Important Truth about Organizational Success that Might Surprise You

What’s the most important factor in determining organizational success? The answer might surprise you, says Susan Fowler, a senior consulting partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies. In reviewing research for the redesign of Blanchard’s Self Leadership program, Fowler found compelling evidence that suggests the single most essential ingredient in organizational success is the proactive behavior…

Is Your Leadership Power Helping or Hurting?

If you are a manager, supervisor, or an executive at any level, I think you’ll find the latest research on leadership power relevant to your job, the people you lead, and the results you seek. Consider this story shared by a woman in a workshop I was teaching on motivation. While taking her normal elevator…

Moving Beyond Intrinsic Motivation

New research into human motivation is helping managers move beyond carrot-and-stick extrinsic motivators. And while it’s good that we’ve made progress, we still need to keep moving if we truly want to leverage what the new science of motivation is teaching us. In the June issue of Ignite, Susan Fowler, best-selling business author of Why…

Finding Your Way Back When Your Motivation Takes a Holiday

I am a runner. It defines me. Up until recently, my Twitter bio’s opening descriptor was Runner. (It’s now, temporarily, a Game of Thrones quote. I’ll change it back soon.) Running is part of my life. It’s what I do. But lately I’ve encountered a problem: I haven’t been running. When I’m training for a…

Three Compelling Ways to Rethink Leadership Practices

Are your leadership practices based on outdated assumptions about the true nature of human motivation? Think about how you might approach leadership differently if you took into account some of the latest findings: – Our basic human nature is to thrive. No one wants to be bored and disengaged. People want to contribute. People appreciate meaningful…