Projecting is a phenomenon where we take our own thoughts, and, just like a projector machine, superimpose them onto another surface. With psychological projection, that surface is primarily another human or institution.

We often hold our work time and our "time outside of work" in tension. It's easy to see them as competitors, each leeching time from the other and experiencing both as less satisfying than we'd like.

I invite you to shift the paradigm, away from work and life in a tug of war, to energy cycles of performance and recovery. Of putting out energy and then recharging.

I was on the phone with a client recently who is in a leadership position in which their primary focus is the performance of their people. The performance issues my client was articulating came down to a simple list, which I've flipped into the positive below.

A big part of leadership development is building the courage to authentically and constructively speak our minds in order to build and maintain alignment with others. Effective leaders highly value the need to maintain alignment. That means asking early for clarification and greater understanding, before the little unclear things are allowed to fester.

Up in Northern New York State, my dad is just finishing up another round of artisanal sugaring (producing maple syrup from the sap that runs in the spring). It's a hobby that bridges the depth of winter and sailing season — a hobby from which my brothers and sister and I reap serious maple syrup dividends.

Out of all my siblings, I live the closest to our father, so I see him the most frequently. The way I contribute, albeit meagerly, to his sugaring efforts is to save glass jars for him. Old syrup mason jars, peanut butter and pickle jars, and those jumbo jars the kalamata olives from Costco come in.

I save the jars, but I draw the line at removing the labels.