Many look up to leaders as people that have all the right answers and know what they are doing with certainty. The reality is that if you think you know it all, you stop learning and growing and will eventually fail.

Uncertainty. . . Being willing to doubt, can be a good thing for leaders. A few years back there was a book by by Gail Blanke called "Between Trapezes." The metaphor of the trapeze aptly applies in leadership, and in life. To be uncertain requires that we leave behind our personal and professional certainties.

Living in the gap, between two trapezes, is the chance to find out who we truly are and who we can be. It is the need to let go in order to grab something else. This could be very frightening. Nobody likes the idea of falling, of “humiliation,” of others looking on and discovering we are not sure if we can breach the gap.

That moment of uncertainty can also be a moment of exhilaration. A freeing space where you don't have to hang onto any certainties. It's a space where you can be creative, wildly alive, with your eyes in the next adventure, ready to grab what comes close to you.

I’m often called to help when individuals or organizations are trying to change something but feel they are stuck. You know the feeling. It’s like those nightmares where you want to run but your feet can’t move.

They know what needs to change. They have a plan for change. They have a clear vision about how it will look after the change is implemented. But nothing is happening. Are you stuck?

A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. ~Gen. MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur was one of the finest military leaders the United States ever produced. He was an effective general, a brilliant strategist, a farsighted administrator, and a corporate leader.

Not long ago my husband and I visited the Mc Arthur Museum. Since we both admire the general greatly, it was a special treat. While there I thought a lot about lessons contemporary leaders can learn from his leadership. I’m sure there are many more, but here are the ones I thought were especially relevant today.

This week I have been conducting a workshop about transformative conversations. We talked about instances where people feel energized and more productive, as opposed to feeling stressed and not productive.