Inspired Leadership

Avoiding amygdala hijack

By Ann Macfarlane / September 3, 2015 / Comments Off on Avoiding amygdala hijack
drawing of amygdala

My nephew was visiting us last weekend when he was hijacked. One moment, he was an affable, engaged and charming member of the family — the next, a seething mass of rage and anguish. I reacted with compassion. I knew that he doesn’t yet have the skills to prevent his amygdala from taking over. But…

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How to be the right kind of dictator

By Ann Macfarlane / May 4, 2015 / Comments Off on How to be the right kind of dictator
painting of Napoleon

It sometimes comes as a shock to newly elected leaders that running good meetings requires being a dictator. It is essential for the chair of a meeting to enforce the rules that the group has decided upon for fair discussion. If your board has adopted an agenda that allows 20 minutes for a given topic,…

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You have to relax to lead

By Ann Macfarlane / April 17, 2015 / Comments Off on You have to relax to lead

This is Sibelius month in Seattle, and the Seattle symphony is performing all his major pieces. At last week’s performance of Symphony No. 2, I was mesmerized by the conductor. Thomas Dausgaard and the orchestra appeared to breathe as a single organism. I have never seen any large group act in such complete harmony. It…

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