Empowering Leaders, Illuminating Paths, Driving Change Issue 1, Volume 1 | December 2024
Hi Friend,
Welcome to The Illumination Brief. I’m so glad you’re here!
Since launching The Plager Group in ’23, I’ve often been asked, “Will you share your insights, expertise, and learnings?” “When will you write?”
Until now, the timing wasn’t right.
18 months in, I’m clearer on how I focus my work to drive value for my clients. I’ve come to see that my “Insight. Intention. Impact.” tagline is more than a tagline—it also provides the perfect structure for sharing my work.
So, without further ado, I give you Volume 1, Issue 1! In it, you’ll find more on the structure and what to expect in every issue.
The Brief won’t be perfect. I’ll test and learn. I’ll iterate.
As always, I welcome feedback! There are built-in ways to give feedback throughout the issue, and I invite you to drop me a note or text with your thoughts or suggestions.
May your holidays be the right balance of restorative + happy + healthy + a good dose of yum!
Sincerely,
Debbie
What to Expect in Every Issue
The backbone of The Illumination Brief: Insight. Intention. Impact.
Insight: You’ll get curated resources my clients have found useful—typically a few articles and at least one video or podcast with one topic directly tied to the issue’s Intention section.
Intention: Purpose grounds everything I do so there’s often an unsaid why behind the work requests I get. To change or grow a behavior, skill, or habit, we must be intentional in how/where/when we practice. This section highlights a practice or skill my clients want to build, often with links to support tools.
Impact: This section highlights how my clients have achieved impact and how you can, too, by working with The Plager Group.
INSIGHT
4 Common Types of Team Conflict—and How to Resolve Them
Constructive conflict is one of the most elusive team behaviors. Most leaders eschew conflict for fear of “going over the line.” They lack capability for productive disagreement. This article explores four type(s) of conflict and how to address each.
Seven Powerful Coaching Questions
The #1 capability my clients want to grow? Developing teams. A coaching muscle is essential to great leadership. Here, Paul Byrne provides a great primer (and graphic) of Michael Bungay- Stanier’s fantastic book The Coaching Habit.
How Resilience Enables Values-Based Leadership
Want to increase your resilience or navigate burnout? Leading in alignment with your values is one research-backed way to do it.
How to Be Productive Without Burning Out
Heads up! I’m a HUGE Cal Newport fan. You’ll see more of his ideas in future issues. In this clip, Cal joins host Dan Harris on the 10% Happier podcast.
Have a resource that resonates with you? Send it my way! Whether it makes it into the Brief or my LinkedIn posts, I’ll share it with my network.
INTENTION
Focusing on Your Values at Work Makes More Difference than You May Think
Want to reduce stress, ground yourself before a challenge, or get out of a rut? Focus on aligning your work with your values. Being out-of-alignment with your values may underlie stress, burnout, fatigue, even boredom. Given the key role values play in our lives, I chose values as the topic for the inaugural Intention section.
After two weeks, you may want to continue with the initial value or you may feel like focusing on another one of your top five. Repeat steps 3-6 as needed.
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier
IMPACT
Are you a CHRO, CPO, or senior HR leader of a $200-$700M company or an HR exec for a division with a $200-$700M budget? Want to unleash your senior team’s e ectiveness?
Join me February 28, 2025, 11 am-2pm Central.
Email Debbie with the subject line “Teams” for more. We have a few complimentary spots available in exchange for providing feedback after the workshop.
Executive Coaching Client Spotlight
I’m proud of the growth my clients achieved in 2024. Here’s just one story.
Backstory: Lisa** is the #2 at her mid-sized company where she leads the Marketing function. She was burnt out and had no time for forward-looking work. She was uncertain of the value she was adding to the company and how she was showing up for her family.
Inside the journey: Through our work, Lisa got clear on how to delegate effectively to her direct reports, how to get them to own their programs and lead and develop their team members. She built key habits that helped her set realistic, healthy boundaries at work and at home. She stopped taking on all responsibilities for meetings and communications, and learned to either leverage AI, delegate, or spread responsibility among other leaders.
Overall impact: “I love my job again,” said Lisa after 8 months of working together. She’s proud of the growth she’s seen in her direct reports and in herself. Further proof:
- Her CEO has seen the shift in how Lisa spends her time. She points to specific strategies
that would not have been implemented if Lisa hadn’t made these leadership changes.
- Lisa is no longer the help desk “chat bot” for her team. We tracked Lisa’s success in retraining team members to be proactive rather than rely on her to provide every technical answer.
- Lisa’s family has seen a change in her stress levels. She’s now more present and models healthy boundaries and communication for the family. Her teenagers commented on the changes and how they’ve benefited from them.
Lisa was surprised at the degree of change she was able to make, and she feels she has the support in place to sustain the changes.
Lisa’s story demonstrates the power of:
- focusing on the most critical issues,
- being willing to experiment with behavior change, and
- fully embracing the self-reflection that’s key to effective growth.
** Name and industry changed for confidentiality.
