All Posts by Paul R. Scheele Ph.D.

Horseback riding was an activity I avoided since I was 14 years old. I often joked, “Why would I want be near an animal that can hurt you at both ends and is uncomfortable in the middle?” But at age 67, to confront my limiting belief, I enrolled in an equine event while staying at the Miraval resort in Austin, Texas.

Deciding when there is no certainty that your choice is correct — that’s a challenge.

Deciding when there is no certainty that your choice is correct — that’s a challenge.

Deciding when there is no certainty that your choice is correct — that’s a challenge.

When I first read the subtitle of MIT professor C. Otto Scharmer’s book, Theory U: Leading from the future as it emerges (2010), it immediately resonated with how I had assisted clients in my previous two decades of consulting work.Scharmer’s book explains how, by using our imagination to envision the successful accomplishment of a goal, […]

You’ve heard of “thinking out of the box” but what are the practices that make it possible? Three things. First is mindset. Begin with the idea that every solution to a problem creates additional problems. For example, you want save time and work more efficiently. Your solution is to buy a new computer and run new software. […]

When you contemplate the future, it is easy to recognize that there are many unknowns. From childhood we develop a mindset of considering the unknown as potentially dark and foreboding, and that uncertainty is to be avoided. The common way to view uncertainty is to worry that you will be insufficiently resourced (not smart enough, rich […]

Early in my career I heard a management expert say, “Until you’ve reached age 40, been in a successful long-term relationship, and raised your own children, it is difficult to be a successful business manager.” Although I bristled at that statement during my early 30s, today I can understand the wisdom in that statement. And recently, a […]

The freedom to create a business and participate in a free-market global economy has been hard won over time and grants us, as businesspeople, both privilege and responsibility. We have the privilege to pursue our dreams and the responsibility to contribute in whatever way we can to help future generations do the same. The word privilege is derived from Latin, meaning “private law” and is […]

In this video, you’ll learn how to overcome feelings of overwhelm and become more focused on what matters most.

Discover a simple and quick technique to become more aware of new ideas that can help you take the next steps towards your goal.

Discover a simple and quick technique to become more aware of new ideas that can help you take the next steps towards your goal.

Discover a simple and quick technique to become more aware of new ideas that can help you take the next steps towards your goal.

Discover a simple and quick technique to become more aware of new ideas that can help you take the next steps towards your goal.

The most creative thinkers balance their imagination with a surprisingly different type of thought process. While they engage in right brain thinking, they also do something specific that will help you enhance your results from creative thinking.

Unintended consequences can arise from your efforts to solve a problem. Discover how to generate more optimal solutions and reduce the chances of unintended consequences.

The problem with problem-solving is generating great solutions to the wrong problem. Solve your business problems by spending 80% of your time defining the specific nature of the real problem and generating solutions to it.

Enlist Support from OthersReach out and join, invite, or create the support from others that will increase your persistent achievement. Peer coaches help you be accountable to the goals you set and the tasks you endeavor to complete. “Communities of Practice” are like-minded colleagues in your field that can serve as a mastermind support group […]

Mentally Review Your DayCultivate learning and establish a positive expectancy of your success through framing and reframing your experiences today. Consider today’s highlights, insights, and preparations for a better day tomorrow. Enlist your inner mind for effective problem solving as you go to sleep tonight.

Take Small StepsAdapt most effectively and be more resilient as you move in the direction of your goals with persistent and consistent actions. Take small steps and notice small concrete indicator of success.

Two Forms of Task ClarityGrow yourself as a leader and the success of your work as you move in the direction of your goals with persistent and consistent actions. Be clear on your tasks today to work in your business and build greater strengths to work on your business this week.

Avoid burnout with 3 easy tips for building your adaption energy. Hydrate, take frequent mini-breaks to stretch and move, and sleep most effectively each night.

Procrastinating on a difficult task does not make it easier. Develop the habit of getting the tough stuff done right away each day.

Every day we engage in many mundane activities. Our routines can should put us in the groove not put us in a rut. Energize your life by finding the sacred nature of it.

Your goals should excite you. But did you ever hear the phrase “Be careful what you ask for…you just might get it?” When you establish a goal as a business person, consider the delicate balance of your life—your life’s “ecology.”

The conscious mind sets goals, but it is your nonconscious mind that finds the best ways and means to accomplish them. Give your goal to the “pure imaginal realm” and follow where it leads you. The best technique for enlisting the support of your nonconscious resources lies within.

A successful life boils down to directing your thinking, feeling, and actions—moment to moment. When working on my doctorate, I encountered one of the most powerful techniques I have ever used to help channel my daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly energy. It works, and I share it with you here.

The brain is a goal seeking device. Written goals tell the brain what you choose to create and achieve. To accelerate your goal achievement, here are 3 quick tips that can immediately give your goals a boost up and over any hurdles you may encounter.

Two pronounced capabilities show up in the most successful entrepreneurs and organizational leaders I encounter: the ability to adapt in the moment to whatever emerges the capacity to bounce back or have resiliency when things don’t go according to plan This is the second of a two-part blog series exploring these essential skills and offers […]

Two pronounced capabilities continue to show up in the most successful entrepreneurs and organizational leaders I encounter: the ability to adapt in the moment to whatever emerges the capacity to bounce back or have resiliency when things don’t go according to plan This two-part blog series explores these essential skills and offers key practices to […]

Make progress every day toward your desired success with the Core Four principles. Here is the fourth and final post in this series.#4—Fail Fast and Often (aka, There Are No Failures When You Are Learning)Successful entrepreneurs often describe an event that almost led to the demise of their business. The stories of survival share similar […]

Keep the Core Four principles in mind to make sure progress towards success. Here is the third in the series of posts. #3—Resources You Need Are All Around You (aka, Go Get It) An acorn does not have an oak tree in it. Nor does it contain the minerals, energy, or hydration needed to be […]

It’s been said that life is like a river. If that is true, then business is like Class 5 rapids. You can assure safe passage through today’s turbulence, while making progress to your destination of success, when you keep the Core Four principles in mind. Here is the second in the series of posts. #2 […]

It’s been said that life is like a river. If that is true, then business is like Class 5 rapids. In the daily swirl of busyness and chaos it is tough to stay on task. As entrepreneurs we can feel like the guide of a river raft on a river of permanent whitewater that is […]

There are times when resources are depleted, when we are out of time or options, and desperation sets in. Physically, during a marathon it’s called “hitting the wall” when the muscles have burned all available energy sources (carbohydrate sugar stored in the form of glycogen) and they seize up. During a business life-cycle, we “hit […]

No doubt, we all spend too much time in meetings. And yet, Meetings are an essential way to get team projects completed…if the meetings are productive. Have you attended a meeting in which a lone participant has usurped the agenda and single-handedly derailed a quick discussion into a protracted waste of everyone’s time? Meetings can […]

My son’s frustration after college showed as he complained, “How can a college grad apply for a job when employers insist on ‘2 years experience’? I can’t have experience in a field unless a business will hire me and let me get experience!” I remember the same dilemma in my early years as a training […]

Have you ever heard that an airplane is off-course most of the time? That’s partially true, and the reality of navigation and course correction can give leaders clues on how to achieve goals most efficiently. It is true that navigation to a destination is rarely a straight line. During the journey we must steer “dynamically” making […]

Knowing when you have the “right” solution is often more than rational and logical. There is a “felt shift” that occurs that signals the “Eureka! I’ve Found IT!” experience. Step 3: Implement Your Solution Plan Studying the moment at which the solution becomes obvious, research subjects described that “everything fit together and clicked.” The analogy […]

Exploring possible solutions is the best part of any problem-solving activity. But don’t let your enthusiasm send you down a blind alley. Keep in mind: Our current problems are the unintended consequences of our prevailing problem-solving approach. The real challenge is to solve the way we solve our problems. Think of the goal of problem-solving […]

If we have a problem, we want to solve it fast. However, a fast solution isn’t always better. In our haste we often solve the wrong problem–the real problem and its solution isn’t always as obvious as it seems. Problem solving endeavors often fail due to unclear problem definition. Most people and teams are eager […]

Imagine standing shoulder to shoulder in a line with 20 people. You can see your colleagues on your left and right. Now take 5 steps forward. Everyone else is behind you now. Do you feel safer or more vulnerable? Let’s say you are in the line and someone else takes 5 steps forward. Are you […]

Everything we desire to change—all the problems, issues, and challenges before us—exist today as the unintended consequence of our current approach to solving problems. Problems exist because of how we attempt to solve them. Without shifting how we go about solving our problems, we can only create more of the same. Part 2: Guardian of […]

This blog examines our natural inclination to resist change and what we can do to positively influence organizational change efforts. Part 1: Resistance is Inevitable In the Star Trek series, the alien race known as The Borg repeated the phrase “Resistance is Futile, Assimilation is Inevitable.” The human race had a different idea that saved […]

The last of six initiatives to transform individuals and organizations looks at how leaders can acknowledge and celebrate those who choose to take bold action for change. In doing so a leader reinforces the importance of doing adaptive work and encourages positive engagement and progress. Initiative #6: Acknowledge bold and courageous plans to act by […]

In this blog we explore the fifth of six initiatives that transform individuals and organizations. As leaders, part of our job is to bring people’s good ideas forward and hold them high enough for others to see. Initiative #5: Illuminate innovative ideas, new ways of thinking, and perspectives that become apparent. Herald the Arrival of […]

In this blog we explore the fourth of six initiatives in the transformation of individuals and organizations. Here we examine ways to draw forth and share insights that inspire us to change. Initiative #4: Help express new awareness and perspectives through discourse and deep listening. Describing What You’ve Never Seen Before When an individual or […]

In this blog we explore the third of six initiatives that transform individuals and organizations. In it, you will discover the most reliable methods to inquire more deeply and effectively into the dilemmas that face you. Initiative #3: Encourage the active challenge of prevailing mental models or habits of expectation by offering data that challenges […]

In the previous posts of this series you have come to understand the definitions, importance, and processes that facilitate transformational change. In this post we explore how to create the ideal environment within an organization in which transformation can occur. In Presence (Senge, Scharmer et al.) and later in Theory U (Scharmer), the authors attempted […]

In this blog we explore the second of six initiatives that transform individuals and organizations. Initiative #2: Create a safe environment for critical reflection. Once we have revealed the disorienting dilemmas (see the prior post on Initiative #1) we recognize that maintaining the status quo, and the comfort zone it used to provide, no longer […]

If you are in a leadership role, it will be worth your effort to become a facilitator of transformative learning with those you serve. This article explores the reasons why and helps show you where you can start. Among business professionals engaged in global transformational activities, there is an increasing need to better understand the […]

It’s easy to get good at what you need to do. Don’t worry if it didn’t happen in school. The classroom was always meant to be a place where readily available resources (books, materials, subject-matter experts) could be found, explored, and used to aid in learning. Learning mostly happens—not inside the classroom but outside of […]

The word “transformation” is frequently used, but often without much deep understanding of what it means, especially in terms of our everyday interactions and organizational behaviors. This article will help you become conversant in the latest thinking regarding this important topic. Defining Transformation Transformation is a radical shift in thinking, perception, and behavior. In individuals, […]

How do you start a training program? If you acknowledge how far someone has come in order to be here now, you are reinforcing the fact that valuable resources are already in place and working successfully. If you point out what isn’t working and that learning and change must take place, you are dwelling on […]

Every day the work you do matters and your transformational leadership can contribute to producing a more sustainable organization, society, and human presence on the planet. Reflecting on the current situation from a higher perspective leads to your own transformative learning and helps position your efforts to be part of a positive change for everyone. […]

In this blog we explore the first of six initiatives that transform individuals and organizations. Initiative #1: Surface disruptive and disorienting dilemmas that are emerging. A disorienting dilemma is a situation in which you are doing all the right things but not getting the results you need. Oftentimes, such problems are paradoxical in nature. That is, your […]

Are the instructional methods practiced in your organization keeping up with the breakthroughs in brain science? Neuroscience research shows your brain and mind are brilliant. You are naturally capable of easily acquiring knowledge and skills. The key is your active participation in holistic, complex, meaningful environments organized around long‑term goals that matter to you. Lost […]

You have a job to do for your organization. Ideally, each contribution you make also adds significantly to the long-term sustainability, resiliency, and profitability of your team and organization. But has it ever felt like you are trying to walk forward while the ground is shifting beneath you? The rate of change in the world […]

Are you called upon to facilitate change, either for individuals or an organization? It can be a challenge, but this blog series is here to offer help. Research into the inner experience of transformation showed that inclusion, deep reflection, dialogue, and acknowledgment in a supportive community are potent ingredients in a recipe for individual, organizational, […]