Blue Fjord Leaders Blog
The Voice for Insightful Leadership with Shelley Row, P.E.
Knee Jerk Decisions Creating Havoc? Notice the Clues from Your Body (Video)
When a person or situation triggers you, learn to recognize how it feels in your body. That’s your first line of defense to slow a knee-jerk reaction. Subscribe
Flip the Switches in the Brain: 5 Ways to Motivate Your Team, Staff or Client
The brain has two important electrical circuits for motivation. One activates feelings of reward and the other, feelings of threat. Whether staff, teams or clients, the reward circuit is the more reliable, long-term motivator of behavior. Unfortunately, the threat...
Reap the Rewards of a Checklist: Two Easy Steps
Pilots use it; some doctors use it. The benefits of its use have been documented. What is it? A simple checklist. Are you taking advantage of it? My sister and her husband are pilots. Each time I fly with them they pull out their pre-flight checklist. Even with hours...
Kindness Matters
Where are the keys? They must be here somewhere. I drove to Starbucks between a meeting and my flight home. Clearly, I had the keys when I arrived. The Starbucks staff helped me search. No keys. "Maybe you left them in the car?" they offered. Maybe. It's worth...
The Number One Way to Show Respect at Work
I didn’t see it coming. The executives were gathered for our work on communication skills for the sake of enhancing productivity. (Poor communication skills are a leading cause of productivity loss.) Based on their input, we had flip charts around the room each with...
Video: Are Knee Jerk Reactions Creating Havoc? Learn Your Triggers
Sometimes those snap decisions are not your best choice. Learn to recognize the people and situations that trigger an emotion-filled reaction. Subscribe
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
What Commitment Looks Like
Each May the Blue Angels fly for the U.S. Naval Academy graduation in Annapolis. Their performance in the blue skies over the Severn River is a highlight and a special moment. Visitors and residents gather along the shore staring overhead, searching the horizon. No...
Seeing Beyond the Details: An Essential Insightful Leadership Skill
It was dark and I was in unfamiliar territory. I was aboard a friend’s boat on the Chesapeake Bay, at night, headed home, when he said, “You should drive. It will be good practice.” “Good practice?” I thought. “Is he crazy? There are lights everywhere.” As I looked...
Is Your Decision-Making Pattern Negatively Impacting Your Organization?
I was intrigued but not surprised. The a-ha moment happened as I discussed the pitfalls of over-thinking with a group of 70 transportation leaders. It could have been any group of leaders. Perhaps it is evident: Leaders develop good and bad decision-making habits and...
Disappointed by Your Plan? Get Hooked by Questions Insightful Leaders Ask
We left the dock at 5 am, bundled against the cold, the boat loaded with food, drinks, snacks for us and lures for the fish. It was opening day of Rockfish season. I know nothing about Rockfish, but I was with an experienced team who have fished together for twenty...
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