Kindness still matters

Twice in the last week, I gave a tip when I didn’t have to. I was surprised at the reaction. A delivery driver was so unexpectedly grateful and a counter worker at Dodger Stadium thanked my husband after I walked away. As the economy gets worse, more and more people are working 2 jobs, cutting […]

Cultivate hope in your team

“Let’s talk about what truly separates effective leaders from the rest. It’s not only charisma or technical skills—it’s their ability to cultivate Hope in their teams.” – Yira Muse, Ph.D. and Vistage Speaker. She goes on: “What most people get wrong about Hope in leadership: ❌ Hope = staying positive when things get tough ✅ […]

passion + perseverance=GRIT

Do you believe in the mission of your organization? Do your people believe in the mission? It turns out that mission driven organizations can move faster to achieve their goals because the team is aligned. They are focused on where they want to go. They have passion. Perseverance is getting up every day and doing […]

Strengthen your core

If you have done pilates or are building flexibility and strength, you know how important it is to strengthen your core. It is not an obvious focus in the beginning – maybe you don’t even know where it is. Think of holding your stomach muscles in and you are pretty close. Stand with your head […]

finding creativity in small places

The local bakery has fabulous bread. When I went there this weekend they had many Halloween cookies and other treats that one might expect at this time of year. Not only that, they created sourdough bread with spooky faces as you see in the picture. The inside was black! And, tasted like sourdough. How cool! […]

Laughter as medicine

Waking up in Chicago, jet-lagged from a late arrival, I hear my 11 month old granddaughter screeching and crawling to her sister’s room. I jump out of bed fearing my daughter and son-in-law were overwhelmed and run upstairs to find the kids playing a game the 11 month old invented. She was screeching and crawling […]

Innovation versus innovative process

Have you ever noticed that innovators talk really fast? It seems like the ideas are flooding their brain 3 times faster than the mouth can talk…or than the listener can process. Sometimes, before you can ask a question, they are on to another idea. Those who excel at innovative processes tend to talk slower. Their […]

Business + Community

Nora Paller blog

Board members of non-profits are expected to contribute their smarts and their money and show up to their fundraisers. That is part of the deal. So this week we trekked up to Sonoma to attend the gala for Kids Scoop News. They create a monthly newsletter to distribute to schools that local businesses support, full […]

Endings – elegant or otherwise

How damaging is it when a team member leaves the company for a competitor and trashes everything about your organization on the way out?  Have you had this happen to you? Have you done it yourself?

Beginner’s mind

How fun is it to learn something new? Whether it is how to use AI to craft a better story, or a new video game or, for my husband Paul, a new mirrorless camera? A beginner’s mind is totally engaged and excited.