I Fell Off the Diving Board

But Backstreet’s back, alright? And I brought you some <guilt gifts> souvenirs.

Hi! 👋🏻 Hello. Hi. It’s me, Claire. You might not remember me, but I write this newsletter, unless I don’t. Which I haven’t. In a while. But I’m writing now. I’m back. [Big exhale.]

You know how parents go on business trips then return home apologetically showering their kids with overpriced toys from airport gift shops as penance for being gone so long? That’s me today.

I’m eager to tell you what I’ve been up to in these weeks I’ve been mum and to offer you a grab bag of souvenirs I brought back from my time away. I missed you guys! I thought about you every day!

BUT FIRST: we’ve got some new friends in The Diving Board community! I want to extend a hearty welcome to my newest subscribers. I’m so glad you’ve joined us. We have fun here, and we learn things. (I need a better way to differentiate The Diving Board from my daughter’s 2^nd grade class. I will work on my elevator speech.)

BUT SECOND: Chappell Roan.

I’ve got a big heart, and I’ve recently learned it has room for at least one more musical maven. (Thanks for scooching over a bit, Taylor and Brandi.) I. am. obsessed. If you haven’t heard, Chappell Roan has gotten more famous more rapidly than any artist in recent memory, and for good reason. Start here: Good Luck Babe. Then just surrender to the brilliance of this entire album: The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. (My favorite tracks: My Kink is Karma, California)

So, where have I been when I haven’t been on The Diving Board?

In my work, I go through dry spells as well as downpours. Sometimes, I get lucky, and things flow in at a steady drip. But the last 6 weeks have been an absolute deluge: a delightful chain of client events, travel, team offsites, presentations, and workshops. I loved every minute of it, and then I took a long-ass nap.

How about this: I’ll share a few highlights from my recent work whirlwind, and for each one, I’ll gift you a souvenir, something I brought back from that particular adventure. Deal?

Your Souvenir Grab Bag

🎖 From a “Coaching Skills for Leaders” workshop (MN): When I teach groups of leaders how to use coaching skills (asking vs. telling) to empower and develop team members, I often share this video: Greatness by David Marquet. If a Navy Captain can relinquish authority in a traditionally “command and control” environment, the rest of us are out of excuses.

🌱 From a Vertical Leadership Development workshop (Chicago): One of my favorite tools when I’m teaching Vertical Development to groups are these Transformations Cards. Fun news - anyone can purchase a digital version of the card deck experience ($20) to help you explore your own Vertical Development journey! (Curious to learn more about Vertical Development? Vintage Diving Board is your friend: you can find my 3-part series and other resources here.)

🔺 From a 2-day Team Offsite I co-led with my pal Nikki (MN): Many teams are either high-conflict or conflict-avoidant, and neither extreme is healthy. Every team needs to engage in productive conflict – it’s good for culture and good for results. One of my favorite tools for helping teams shift from unhealthy to healthy conflict is The Drama Triangle. (Once you begin to see your interactions through this lens, you will start to spot the Drama Triangle everywhere!)

🎨 From a Leadership Development Program (MN): My partners at The People Side (TPS) offer an incredible art-based learning activity using suminagashi, a Japanese art involving ink floating on the surface of water. I facilitated a suminagashi activity for a group of ~100 leaders through TPS, connecting this unique art form back to participants’ leadership journey. I’ve also done suminagashi with my kids at home, and everyone made something gorgeous. You can purchase a ready-made kit with all the supplies you need here.

Example of suminagashi art. Photo by Visax on Unsplash

🤖 From the DC Capital Coaches Conference (DC): I led a session (The Missing Piece of the Burnout Puzzle – third on the list if you scroll) at this conference, then learned so much from other fantastic presenters. My favorite sessions focused on how AI is disrupting and will disrupt the coaching industry. I’ve been using ChatGPT like a fiend ever since the conference, and it’s saved me HOURS. Your souvenir is a big encouragement to get on the AI bandwagon if you haven’t already. It’s here, it’s helpful, it’s terrifying, it’s not going away. Lollygag at your own peril.

📣 From an Executive Communication workshop (DC): In the midst of this busy time, I received a quick-turnaround request to support a leadership team in sharpening their executive presentation skills. I’m so glad I said yes! I had a blast developing the content for this workshop and leading the team through a playful and challenging series of activities to polish up our pitches and our presence. Here are some TikTok goodies I shared in the workshop: How to present to executives (and how NOT to) and great public speaking content from Vinh Giang.

So, there you have it. I hope you like me, I mean the gifts. <Guilt assuaged>

Amos put this note on the door so I’d see it when I came home from my late night flight. 💚

And…I’m declaring something here so you can be my accountabilibuddies (I will not apologize for that word):

By the end of this week, I am finally going to send out my book proposal to at least 10 agents. I wrote the dang thing over a year ago, but I’ve shelved it while building my “author platform” (Substack, LinkedIn) and overhauling my website to better position me for a book deal.

The only thing stopping me now is tick-tock-tick-tock time, and I’ve got some set aside this Friday. Wish me luck.

See you again soon on The Diving Board!

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As always, there are no affiliate links on The Diving Board, just me sharing things I’m genuinely geeking out about.