For those who know me personally, you know I am a private pilot. I fly. I like heights and the beauty of the earth from the viewpoint of the sky. It is a majestic feeling to soar, have control of your aircraft, and view the heavens and the earth simultaneously. I have met a brother who does the opposite. He dives; very deep. He dives in oceans and views the majesty of the earth from under deep waters, and has explained to me a similar feeling of euphoria. He is also a leader in his field, which is why My Great Aunt EDNA had to speak with him. Meet Jay Haigler, the master scuba diver and leader of an organization known as Diving With a Purpose. Shout out to our brother Dell Warren for making the connection. CLICK PLAY TO LISTEN TO MY CONVERSATION WITH JAY HAIGLER ABOUT LEADERSHIP, PURPOSE, AND DIVING. #mygreatauntedna #auntedna #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #leadership #excellence #dointthingstherightway #noshortcuts #accountability #author #books #podcast #macmcneil #My_Great_Aunt_EDNA #MacMcNeil

Is there a line in heaven for those who choose to be born an orphan? I am assuming that line would not exist, even if there were a desk for this category (I am picturing the Division of Motor Vehicles in my mind). As Grace Yung Foster told me during our leadership discussion pertaining to her lived experience of being an adoptee, then abandoned after adoption, resulting in the rest of her childhood being in foster care, being born an orphan means that you are literally born an outsider belonging nowhere. But Grace has overcome the beginning of her existence to become a leader in working with adoptees, foster children, and organizations to better maximize the full human potential.

#mygreatauntedna #auntedna #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #leadership #excellence #dointthingstherightway #noshortcuts #accountability #author #books #books #podcast #macmcneil #youtube #youtubevideo #My_Great_Aunt_EDNA #MacMcNeil #leadership help #leadership_helping_others_to_succeed_quotes

Rarely do you ever hear of a black female leading technology as a senior level executive for a major organization. Even more rare is learning that other C-suite executives seek her out to improve their overall performance, career plans, and general psychological well-being. Trina L. Hill, MBA, PMP, CBCP, CSM, ACC is rare, and she's a force on the move. I was blessed to have her state that she is a fan of the My Great Aunt EDNA leadership platform, and even more blessed to have her as a guest on the show to discuss her leadership philosophies she shares with other executives.

After years of leading very complex technology strategies at large-scale, Trina is now sharing her talents and lessons. You'll want to get in on this movement.

From humble beginnings in the Bronx, NY as the child of a single black woman, to becoming the only Black woman to ever fly the U-2 Spy Plane for the United States Air Force at 70,000 feet, Ret. Colonel Merryl Tengesdal has never had a problem of directly owning the spirit of the woman she was intended to be! As an inductee into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame, Merryl has applied her love for science, math, and the Spirit of Excellence adopted by My Great Aunt EDNA to soar to heights only known to a few.

Click below to watch or listen to the Season 2 kickoff of the acclaimed My Great Aunt EDNA Leadership Podcast by Mac McNeil with special guest, Ret. Col Merryl Tengesdal!

Several studies have shown that creativity is much more prevalent in dreams than in actual life. Why, you ask? It is because the portion of the brain that manages logic and reason is largely restrained during the first 3 hours of sleep. This restraint of logic permits the free association connectivity of memories and ideas in a way that can produce novel combinations. The key to this being a benefit for your personal, leadership, or business life is the point at which you wake up in your sleep progression. I now automatically wake up after 3 hours, which allows me to vividly remember the novel combinations that were in my dreams. Typically, after the first 3 hours of sleep, it is harder for one to remember the vivid details of dreams if one sleeps a full 6 - 8 hours consecutively.

One monkey, two monkeys, three monkeys, four

On my back I can feel I have monkeys galore

But when I look back only one monkey's found

This troublesome monkey's been moving around

In leadership, we often feel that we have several "monkeys on our backs," causing us stress related to trying to figure out how to get them off. However, when you actually reach for them, there are usually far fewer "monkeys" than what was first assumed.

As a leader, how do you plan to lead in a political Cold War? It does impact your team. Whether you openly admit, think about, or consider this to be true, the impacts to your success as a leader may depend on your ability to manage the variables and variance of team dynamics impacted by Election PTSD.

Is it really over? Is this the end? Has the summation of all events been concluded at this distinct point of reality? Only if you say so.

Fascinating is the hidden wisdom in language and words. The slight manipulation of letters can reveal lessons of life that can help one be motivated or demotivated. You choose.

THE END sounds finite. But isn’t there always a sequel? Take the “E” off THE and the “D” off END. What is left? TH…EN. THEN is the story you get to write after THE END.

I like to think of the “E” and “D” as messages as well. Could they be representation of Expected Disappointments that you take off THE END? Could they represent Everyone’s Doubt? Or could they represent Euphoric Dissolution? I am sure that you can easily define what the “E” and “D” mean for you.

THEN can be better or worse than THE END. As leaders, we can influence THEN for our teams and ourselves. How, might you ask? My Great Aunt EDNA teaches that Excellence, Doing Things The Right Way, No Shortcuts, and Accountability can influence what happens after THE END.

As an example, a failed business endeavor can be THE END for some leaders, but it can also lead to, THEN I decided to listen to other’s advice, because I left off Egocentric Decision-making.

A successful THE END to a construction project can become, THEN we decided to scale even larger because we left off Eensy-weensy Dreaming.

So, for you and your teams, is it really THE END? Likely not. THEN, what are you going to do about it?