Posts in Culture
Leadership Lessons from a Musical Masterpiece

Moonlight Sonata is a famous classical piece of music. You have likely heard this composition and noticed the haunting nature of it. It’s the kind of song that you can feel moving toward something powerful. It builds with the purpose of telling a story without words.

Recently, my brain was in a mental tug-of-war. I was listening to a recording of Moonlight Sonata by a musician named Isaac Schankler. In this version, he added a fascinating twist to the performance. While recording the song, one of Isaac’s hands was playing a measure ahead of the other hand. His hands were performing the same song, but they were not in sync.

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Culture, leadership developmentMolly Grishamleadership developmentComment
Do Hard With

Over the last few months, I have experienced a feeling that I cannot shake. The truth is, it is more than just a gut feeling or a hunch. As a systems thinker, I have noticed some shifts and patterns that lead me to believe a change is coming.

This may sound like a bold statement, but I believe we are on the verge of a cultural awakening. Everything in my being says that in a few hundred years, stories will be told about this era. This time in history may have a recognizable name, much like the Age of Enlightenment or the Industrial Revolution. I believe there will be a clear way to mark the beginning and ending of the season we are in.

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Culture, peronal growthMolly GrishamCultureComment
High-Performing Teams Do This Well

Over the past three months, clients – in a variety of industries – have expressed an interest in a session called “Developing High Performing Teams.” While discussing this option, I typically hear something like, “We really like each other, but things are hard right now. We have a lot of new team members, too many vacancies, and most of us are not in the office full-time. We feel stuck.”

I love helping groups discover what their stuckness is rooted in.

Last week, I had two separate clients ask two different - yet similar - questions. One asked, “What have you noticed that high-performing teams consistently do?”

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Culture, team buildingMolly GrishamCultureComment
Absolute Understanding

I was standing in line waiting to board my flight when I first noticed him. He was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, a USA hat, and holding a long white cane. He was a few feet away from me in the area where the pre-board passengers had gathered.

Another woman soon joined him. She asked why he had been traveling. He shared that he had been on the east coast trying out for the USA Hockey Team.

Her jaw dropped.

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Culture, peronal growthMolly Grishampersonal growth, CultureComment
Anchors Aweigh

A few months ago, the President of a successful company reached out to me. He shared the following, “The ship is sinking. We need help!” He told me their industry was rapidly transforming but his people were not onboard with doing things differently. He wanted guidance from a neutral, outside party, and he was hoping my skills could be of use.

After listening to him, I asked a very direct question, “What will happen if your company doesn’t change?”

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leadership development, CultureMolly Grishamleadership development, CultureComment
The Things that Haunt Us

For several decades, a friend group of mine has talked about visiting Waverly Hills in Louisville. Waverly Hills – a former sanatorium – is believed to be haunted. They offer late-night group tours as well as overnight paranormal experiences. For the last 20 years, we were big talkers, but that all changed last weekend.

From 1910 to 1961 Waverly Hills – with over 400 beds – was home to Tuberculous patients. The campus was designed as a self-contained community. They grew produce and raised animals to be slaughtered, had laundry facilities, and well as a water treatment plant. The grounds included their own post office and unique zip code.

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CultureMolly GrishamCultureComment
Square Windows Are Deadly

Every single day my work is a little different. I may start the week with a college athletic team, then facilitate a Zoom session with leaders in the biomedical space, later shift to an online group coaching session comprised of individuals from all industries, and finally close the week leading educators in a face-to-face session on personal growth. While the participants may vary, there are some themes that often come up in these sessions.

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leadership development, CultureMolly GrishamleadershipComment
Organizational Culture & Warning Flags

I recently enjoyed an extended stay at the beach. My Airbnb had a balcony that overlooked the ocean and each morning I would take note of the Beach Warning Flag that flew near the shoreline. Since my condo was filled with information about the “Beach Warning Flag System” it seemed like this was something I should pay close attention to.

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CultureMolly GrishamCultureComment
Tour Guide Tim, Wildfires, & Conflict Resolution

I recently visited the Grand Canyon and its surrounding area for the very first time. It was really hard to take in all that I was seeing so I was grateful that we had a talented and seasoned tour guide. Tim was exactly what you would expect from a tour guide. While of retirement age, he dressed like an REI model, wore a bucket hat, believed that shaving was optional, and was slightly eccentric in his desire to share his knowledge with strangers.

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CultureMolly GrishamCultureComment
Leadership Is like Flying a Plane

I don’t remember when I first heard this story, I just remember thinking, “there are so many ways that this concept applies to the work I’m doing.”

It goes like this: in the late 1970s a passenger plane was flying from Denver, Colorado, to Portland, Oregon. As the plane began its descent and its landing gear was lowered, a loud noise was heard.

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leadership development, peronal growth, CultureMolly Grishamleadership development, leaders, personal growthComment