Why the Peacock?

    I’ve been fascinated with peacocks since childhood. Our neighbor’s screeching peafowl were “noisy” to some, but magical to me. A peacock’s call still evokes that mystical wooded backyard of my youth.

    Peacocks symbolize self confidence, magnetism, and beauty without arrogance. Their feathers are said to have protective powers of healing and foresight. Peacocks teach us to strut our stuff with dignity and grace -- great role models as we learn to claim and share our own gifts and talents.

    These birds need a tranquil environment to thrive. They might noisily show off their beauty – but come from a centered, un-frenzied space to do it. I find this to be true for me, and most successful business leaders & entrepreneurs, too!

    ~ Martha Carnahan

Four Words that Motivate Teams – But Use Them Wisely!

Each person in your organization, at some level, truly wants to do a great job and be recognized for their contribution. And motivating them can be as simple as a four-word phrase, according to Tom Peters, business management guru and author of the classic book, In Search of Excellence. Take a look at what Mr. [...]

How to Have More Powerful Conversations with Yourself

When you are running a business you need a good team. You may be the captain, but your partners, employees, assistants, advisors, and vendors all play critical roles on your ship’s crew. There is another team on board too – your inner team. I’m sure you’ve noticed that sometimes you feel like you are at [...]

Why You are a Terrible Judge of Your own Leadership

Many managers I talk with feel they are pretty good leaders. That is, until they receive the results of a staff and peer review. Some are shocked that their scores are so low. Others just can’t take in the data – they actually reject the feedback. If you do not possess the skill of empathy [...]

Bringing Yoga Sam to Work

You may not actually punch a time clock, but there is a moment – a little click – that marks the transition from your non-work life to your work life. Maybe for you it’s when the alarm clock goes off in the morning. Click. Or when you hear the traffic report. Click. Or when you [...]

How to Set H.E.A.R.T. – S.M.A.R.T. Goals

If I’m “about” anything, it’s to promote the idea of:  Happiness for Everyone. Sounds idealistic, you might be saying, but I don’t care what you think. Because, well, this mission makes me happy. One area in which I attend to this idealistic mission – and I admit I picked a tough venue – is:  The [...]

Don’t be a Social Media Hammerhead

If you want to build a house, do you start with a hammer? No, you start with your vision of the house – the floor plan, the interior and exterior style, the materials, and even the landscaping. The hammer is simply one of many tools to help you execute your vision. Same goes with using social media [...]

How to Clean Up Your Idea Clutter

You know all about cluttered spaces. Even if you’re not a clutter person, you probably know someone who is. Or maybe you’ve seen one of those reality TV shows about hoarders. It’s rare to find anyone in Western civilization who hasn’t experienced even a short-term bout of clutter. But what about “idea clutter”? So many [...]

Resolutions Schmezolutions!

Years ago, I vowed never to waste my energy on New Year’s resolutions again. I’ve just never had much success with making resolutions — typically they felt like an external goal I was trying to reach, sometimes realistic and sometimes not. Usually it felt more like a “should” than something I was truly excited about.  So, [...]