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Tough Conversations: Leading From Your Adult Self
Today, the conversation in front of me felt particularly difficult because of the CliftonStrengths dynamics at play. It was, in essence,...
kawkapc
Aug 153 min read


The Five Truths of Strong Teams
And How to Use Them to Strengthen Yours When Fin took over a passionate literacy team, he thought things would click quickly. Seven staff...
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Jul 256 min read


What Got You Here Isn’t the Only Way to Get Here. Rethinking “Fit” Through Strengths-Based Hiring
Great leadership requires humility, it means recognizing that the route you took to success isn’t the only valid route. When we hire...
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Jul 123 min read


Strengths-Based Leadership & Why “Performance” Takes Care of Itself
How to replace dread-inducing reviews with talent, engagement, and belonging It’s Time to Retire the Old “Performance Machine” Picture...
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Jun 264 min read


Why "Weaknesses" Are a Myth and Why Investing in Your Strengths is a Smarter Choice
We live in a culture that’s obsessed with what’s broken. Somehow, criticizing and pointing out flaws is considered a sign of...
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Jun 165 min read


New Leadership Skills: Embracing a Human-Centered Future
Even if you’ve never watched Grey’s Anatomy , there’s a scene that captures something important about leadership. Dr. Cristina Yang,...
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Jun 69 min read


The Defiant Path: Leading a Life That’s Truly Yours
We don’t like defiance. Not in teenagers, not in colleagues, not in ourselves. It disrupts. Refuses. Challenges the norm. And yet, defiance might be one of the most essential leadership qualities we never talk about. Especially when it comes to leading our own lives. Defiance isn’t just rebellion for its own sake. It’s the refusal to shrink into expectations that don’t fit. It’s a boundary line that says: not this . In psychological terms, defiance often emerges as a protec
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Jun 34 min read


From Perfectionism to Presence: Reclaiming Your Enough-ness
Is there a difference between healthy striving and perfectionism? Absolutely. One is rooted in growth. The other, in fear . As Anne...
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May 256 min read


Why Leaders Need Both Empathy and Perspective-Taking (and How to Do It)
Why slowing down, asking better questions, and being present still changes everything. In leadership, we often talk about communication,...
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May 167 min read


The Power of Living In-Between
I’ve always felt a quiet envy toward people who could introduce themselves with just one word."I'm a doctor.""I'm a photographer.""I'm a dancer." There’s a kind of comfort in that, isn’t there? A clarity. A clean box you can tuck yourself into and present to the world like a polished LinkedIn headline. That was never my story. For years, I thought there was something wrong with me. My inability to generate myself a single label felt like failure, like I hadn’t landed anywhere
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May 36 min read


Nature as Leadership Strategy: Cultivating Strength, Perspective, and Resilience
“Studying the impact of the natural world on the brain is actually a scandalous ly new i dea.”— Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods It should have been studied 30-50 years ago. So why now? Perhaps because we are losing our connection to nature more dramatically than ever. Thanks to a confluence of technology, modern lifestyles, and shifting demographics, we’ve moved further away from the natural world than any generation before us. In 2008, for the first time in
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Apr 296 min read


Unavailable on Purpose: From Always-On to Intentionally Off
Have you ever noticed how being constantly available to others ends up hurting you? We say yes out of habit, reply instantly, stay...
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Apr 216 min read


Learning to Lead Again (And Again and Again): The Myth of Certainty
Good leaders never stop learning. Great leaders, the kind who leave a positive lasting impact not just on organizations, but on people’s...
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Apr 48 min read


What Is Happiness? The Simple Brilliance of a Complex State
A much-discussed and often worn-out topic, and yet, one that holds a quiet, awe-worthy brilliance in how its deep complexity can,...
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Mar 288 min read


Leading Change Through Strengths and Positivity
Change is constant, and paradoxical. While driven by external forces like market shifts, technological advancement, or societal movement,...
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Mar 215 min read


Moving From Fear to Intuition: Reclaiming Your Inner Wisdom
"At the center of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are, and you know what you want." - Lao Tzu Deep within us lies a well of wisdom, an intuition that knows what is right, even when fear clouds our vision. Yet, too often, fear takes control, drowning out our inner knowing with alarm bells and doubt . When we learn to tame our fear center, the amygdala, we regain access to our intuition, making decisions from a place of clarity, courage, and trust rather than
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Mar 169 min read


The Cost of Neglecting Psychological Safety
What is Psychological Safety? "The belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or...
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Mar 97 min read


Emotional Intelligence: The Game-Changer for Career and Life
How do we reconnect with ourselves and each other? What is the universal language that unites human experience? The ability to name our...
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Feb 177 min read


What Is The Meaning Of Thriving?
Thriving and happiness are often used synonymously, but positive psychology distinguishes them in meaningful ways. Ha ppin ess is...
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Jan 296 min read


Why Strategies Fail — And What to Do Instead
Strategy often remains confined to PowerPoint decks, failing to translate into real-world implementation. There’s a gap. Everyday choices...
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Jan 247 min read
© Copyright Monika Kawka
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