Sometimes we find ourselves in the middle of a challenging situation where conflict has progressed to the point that the individuals involved are suffering. Even after you’ve tried to taken action steps toward harmony, the situation has only shown minimal to no progress. What should you do now? Often in situations like this, the contrast can run so deep that the team is on the brink of disengagement. What do we do when we are faced with a team member expressing negative behavior that is escalating to the disengagement of the whole group? 

Some possible angles to consider to take the best course of action: 

Could there be something else going on that might not have to do with the topics that are being brought up? From what you know, would you say this person’s way of “engaging” had to do with something else: His or her status in the group? A deep seated resentment because something happened in the past? Often the mis-alignment is not about the...

Thriving is that result we want for anything that matters to us. When the activity of leadership is performed effectively, a state of thriving results. Thriving is what we refer to as the universal outcome. If you were to ask someone what they want for the things they care most about, their answer will always be some version of thriving.  

The word thriving originates from Norse and roughly means “to grasp for oneself.” The word denotes seizing the moment to bring about the desired results for the important things in your life. Its original meaning implies that if we want a better state of affairs, we must “grasp for ourselves” in order to make it happen. 

The standard definition of thriving is: to grow or develop vigorously, to succeed, or to flourish. Some other descriptions that also fit: health, excellence, and happiness. Regardless of the exact wording, what we want for the things we care about is some version of thriving. Universally, we...

We believe that one of the biggest barriers to effective leadership is that it is so frequently interlaced with the concept of authority. While leadership and authority may have some similarities, the differences between them are clear. These differences should illuminate why it's so important to view them as distinct concepts. The list below outlines the differences between authority and leadership. 

Our definition of Leadership: Leadership is the effective mobilization of social force to move individuals, groups and organizations toward fulfillment of their highest potential which results in thriving.

What then, is social force? Social force is an aspect of human society that can be harnessed and channeled to evoke changes the feelings, thoughts or behaviors in individuals or groups. It describes how humans influence each other. Leading, in our view, is the use of social force to foster thriving in individuals and communities.

Authority:

• Formal power that comes...