Leading for Learning

Chapter 6

Becoming a Manager-Coach

Where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows.

— Daniel J. Siegel, MD

Early in my consulting career, I attended a daylong workshop in Phoenix about how to get my workspace organized. The workshop leader, Karen Ussery, left a lasting impression on me. Her main message was that getting organized requires two things: tools and habits. The tools, she said, must be both useful and (preferably) enjoyable to look at, touch, and use. The habits are behavioral disciplines adhered to over time. The combination makes life easier, calmer, and more productive. “Buy high-quality, beautiful file folders,” she said, “and move all papers into them at the end of each day.” “Get a labeler, one that ...