Leadership Lessons from the Chicken Coop

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As a city girl, I never imagined living a life where we would be raising backyard chickens and enjoying it! And yet, it’s been such a fun and different experience.  Raising chickens has reminded me that consistency, presence, and small daily actions build trust over time. Chickens don’t respond to big, dramatic efforts—they respond to the quiet, steady rhythm of care. The same is true in leadership. It's not the grand gestures, but the steady investment in your people that creates safety, trust, and long-term growth.

What quiet rhythm are you setting for your team?

The Connection between Boundaries and Innovation

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Most of us familiar with the Townsend Leadership model have learned to appreciate the role of boundaries in our personal and professional lives and the freedom they can bring.

In reading the book, Inside the Box by Boyd and Goldenberg, I was reminded of how creativity also flourishes with boundaries and constraints. When we’re faced with infinite options, our thinking often becomes scattered and overwhelming. But when clear boundaries are in place, we’re forced to focus, reimagine, and innovate with what’s already in front of us.

Leaders often resist boundaries, thinking they’ll stifle growth. In reality, they provide the structure teams need to be resourceful and inventive. Freedom isn’t found in limitless choice—it’s found in working within constraints that sharpen creativity and lead to real, actionable solutions.

You can read more about this in this HBR article or the Inside the Box book!

Change Your Self Talk

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Change Your Self Talk

You’re at the office and you just got an email from your boss saying there is a mistake in a report you sent in. You’d checked it twice but somehow missed it...what do you say to yourself? (After the cuss words if there were any ;)) Maybe something like… “You idiot! How could you miss such an easy thing!” (I like to call these the “oh sh**” moments).

The way we talk to ourselves matters so much. It’s the voice we listen to the most and tends to be a reflection of what we believe to be true about ourselves.  Most leaders have an overly critical judge that has been riding them hard for years. It’s helped them succeed by pushing them relentlessly and not giving any grace. Fortunately or unfortunately, it’s not sustainable long term - it leads to burnout.

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How does change really happen?

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How does change really happen?

So it’s now March (what?!)... for many of us, that means that the goals or resolutions we set at the beginning of the year are long gone, completely forgotten about. So, if you really want to change something, what’s the process?

As an executive coach and Townsend Leadership Program Director, I have partnered with people to set goals and then watched them actually meet them - time after time. What’s different between those goals and the “resolutions” we set? Let’s talk about how change and growth actually happens and what you need to do the next time you really want something to change. Thankfully, there’s a science to this!

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