We put together plans for getting into and graduating from college, for saving and buying a house, and for finding and applying for a new job. But somehow identifying a path for progression within our organization doesn’t merit the same kind of attention.

In the end, just like Dorothy and her entourage, getting to the end of the yellow brick road is about facing your fears and continually putting one foot in front of the other. And when something happens that takes us off our path, it is imperative that we get back on track at the earliest opportunity.

Change is scary, not because things will be different, but because we must be different.

Over the course of the last four or five years, I’ve learned that structure is actually my friend. By putting boundaries around my time, talents, and treasures, I’ve freed myself to focus on life’s priorities.

My boss Wendy walked into my office one day and handed me a cash-filled envelope. It wasn’t a life-changing amount of cash, but the reason she gave it to me — and a similar envelope to every department member — was particularly notable.

Since our organization has finally consented to let staff participate in your annual evaluation, we thought we should let you know what to expect. We often thought it was interesting that we were evaluated by our superiors, who are the most aware of our jobs, while management was evaluated by their superiors, who only have a vague understanding of their leadership capabilities.

I recently learned about a neuroscientist named Dr. Carolina Leaf, who conducted over 30 years of research on how a change in perspective can lead to a change in our lives.

By accepting where we are in the moment, keeping an eye open for opportunities to move past our fears, and making the best of the resources available to us, we can all successfully tackle any obstacle we encounter, whether it’s on the running trail or our office desk.

I’ve been wondering how well the next generation has been trained for leadership. After a recent conversation with one of my nephews, Donovan, I think we’re on the right track.

Being a leader is not about us, but about those being led. With that said, it is important for us to understand how to develop our employees into the best versions of themselves by creating environments where they can thrive.

The rapid pace of change is one of the foremost reasons a succession plan, not only for replacing the general counsel, but also senior level attorneys, is essential.

Sports teach us so much about leadership and life.

The more leaders help employees feel properly and adequately informed, the better employees are able to deal with impending changes.

In paving the way for change recipients to be ready for change, the leader has to consider how it will move people through processing the information they will need to survive the transitions.

As leaders, it should be unacceptable to be unaware of or to care less about how what we do impacts others, particularly when the solution is simple. We should want to do something to improve — which goes back to knowing that we need to do better, and caring about if we do.

The best way to keep this from happening is to check in with ourselves every now and again to see if we are too comfortable with the way we are thinking or approaching the things in our lives.

This article includes some questions that will help you and your employees create a better evaluation process.

There are five attributes of followers that will benefit us as we grow in our leadership.

We all live busy lives, but when we can clear our minds even for just a little while, it makes for healthier lives and healthier work.

An honest assessment of who we are and a willingness to hear the truth from others willing to tell us the truth is all we need to understand the labels we wear and to change how we are branded if we are not viewed as we want to be seen.

When we think through the steps and identify potential obstacles, we begin to feel more secure with our decision to push forward.

When we don’t give people the opportunity to fail, we prevent them from needing to think.

At the end of the day, nothing you do as a manager, supervisor, boss or leader goes unnoticed.

Have you ever given any thought to the rubber band and how it’s a metaphor for life? Probably not. With the newspaper going the way of the dodo bird, there is likely little regular use for the simple rubber band — beyond tying a little girl’s hair.

Here are a few questions that would serve us well to explore from time to time. We don’t have to ask every question. For our individual situations we may have to dig deeper and be willing to let our inner two-year old follow up with a “why?” every now and again.