Kathy Brasby Blog
What Language Is That?
We have a great Mexican restaurant in our town called El Jacal. I had to find out what the name meant because I don't speak Spanish. What if I was ordering burritos in a place called The Sloth or The Dirty Laundry? You see my point. I looked it up. It meant The...
Ack! It’s Money!
As we get better acquainted, you’ll know things about me that my kids may someday pay you to keep to yourself. This is a great reason to keep track of me. Think of it as retirement planning. Just fill out that email signup over there and the money may well come...
When Butterflies are Sage
This blog is getting a reboot. I’ve tried to be serious and grown up, but I gotta go back to my roots: stories. I see the world in stories. I laugh at the goofiest things - and you might as well come along. This morning, my sister, the artist, showed me a new set of...
You Might Crash If You Take Risks – But Why It’s OK
Leadership can sometimes be as simple as taking the initiative. The problem is that initiative involves risk, which can look like ocean waves crashing over rocks. We wonder what people will think. And what happens if we fail? Or insult someone? Or say the wrong...
Can a leader compete with magical thinking?
Once I was discussing superstitions with a co-worker who mocked anyone trusting in superstitions. “I just don’t get it,” she said. “Black cats. Ladders. All that stuff. I don’t get it. Except for spilled salt, of course.” Spilled salt? “Well, yeah, when you spill...
When Leading People Isn’t the Main Thing
You know this person: they’ve been to leadership conferences, paid big bucks for one-on-one coaching, spew all the current buzzwords. But they don’t care much about the people they’re leading. Their team is there to help them climb the corporate ladder. Somehow, in...
How Stories Teach Us To Be Better Leaders
Leadership happens in odd and tricky places sometimes. I’ll bet Aaron Brantley would have been thrilled for someone be a leader as he crawled across a concrete parking lot to get help. Brantley was attacked at a busy Detroit gas station, left with a broken leg....
Christmas Cookies
Long before Pinterest could puncture our creative bubble, there was the nativity Christmas cookie cutter set. I sometimes call Pinterest the dream site: I can only do those projects in my dreams. The cookie cutter set was like that. The box seduced me with photos of...
Don’t Look
I had just finished rinsing the shampoo out of my hair when my cell phone rang. I grabbed a towel. Who was calling? My sister. “Cover your eyes,” I said, draping myself with the towel. Water ran down my face. She hung up. Should I call her back? Should I dry myself...