Posts by Meredith Nieuwsma
Leadership Toolbox: Leaning into Healthy Conflict
Alternative Title: How a Lowly Brake Operator Changed Corporate Policy in One Conversation My father spent the last 10 years or so of his career working at a metal-press company in the Kalamazoo area. He was responsible for training new employees how to use the presses and working with them until they mastered the work.…
Read MoreLeadership Toolbox: Feedback and the 5-to-1 Ratio
In the last post in this series we explored how to apply the leadership tool of listening. This week, we’re focusing on feedback and the results you can get when you use this tool wisely. Once again, this post isn’t about HOW to give feedback (for that, go here and here). It’s about the results you…
Read MoreLeadership Toolbox: Listening
Listening—so simple to understand, so hard to do. I’m talking about real listening—listening to understand—not being silent until it’s your turn to talk. This post is not about HOW to listen. (For that, go here or here). Today we’re going to focus on what you can accomplish with the incredibly powerful tool of listening. Last week…
Read MoreLeadership Toolbox: Understanding Living Systems
All leaders, regardless of industry, position, education, or experience, have at least one thing in common: They all work with humans. In fact, leaders are humans themselves! And as frustrating as it can be, humans often behave in ways that don’t make sense. Understanding living systems and the impact anxiety has on a system is…
Read MoreAll the Tools You Need
A man was inside his house during terrible rainstorm. The streets began to flood. Terrified, he prayed to God to rescue him. As he was praying, there was a knock at the door. It was his neighbor, offering him a ride to safety. The man was too afraid to move. He decided to wait for…
Read MoreUprooting False Beliefs
There is a certain way our dysfunction manifests itself that I believe is incredibly powerful and potentially destructive: False Beliefs. Beliefs are the things we know to be true but can’t prove. Beliefs drive our behavior; they can be big (like a belief in God) or little (like a belief that being a few minutes…
Read MoreThe Terrible Power of Anxiety
When my husband and I were engaged, we got into a car accident on the way home from seeing a movie. A blizzard had started up while we were at the theater. It was clear when we got there, an icy mess when we left. Josh lost control of his car on the ice-filmed road…
Read MoreCelebration: It’s Not Just for Holidays Anymore
(This post was first published here on January 4, 2016.) When was the last time your team did something that made a difference? That they went the extra mile? That they hit their goals, or accomplished more than was asked of them? When was the last time you celebrated something with your team? I hope…
Read MoreThe Problem with Perception
I’ve never known anyone who was what he or she seemed; or at least, was only what he or she seemed. People carry worlds within them. I love the quote above by Neil Gaiman. I probably use it too much, but it’s become a mantra of sorts for me. It helps me approach each person…
Read MoreJust Say the Word
In July of 2013 I learned that the organization I worked for was restructuring and that my position was one of several that would be eliminated at the end of the year. I was blindsided by this and completely devastated. I loved my work and believed I’d been doing it well. My mind was all…
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