Articles

Articles by Valencia Ray

Browse every published article connected to Valencia Ray, with exact attribution and full-archive search.

articles: 127
shown per page: 50
search signals: Topic + expert

Articles

127 articles by Valencia Ray · showing 27

Browse every published article connected to Valencia Ray, or search within this exact expert archive.

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

The Emotional Brain and Leadership That Resonates

The term “Resonate Leadership” reminds me of the ability it requires to play my piano skillfully. When I play the notes in harmony, it is soothing and harmonic. When played out of alignment and ignorantly, instead of music to my ears, it becomes unpleasant noise. This concept of “Resonance and Dissonance” is a good metaphor for skillful—or not—leadership and relationship skills. Feelings have a “vibe.” They are transmissible.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,160 views2/5 (1)

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Neuroscience of Leadership and Change: Embracing the Millennium of the Mind

Leadership and personal development can be most effectively integrated into corporate and entrepreneurial training programs when approached through the gateway of neuroscience and brain research. It is our amazing brain that allows us to engage conscious reasoning, choice, and to imagine possibilities beyond what already exists. It allows us to access the field of infinite genius and creativity. I can say that what is apparent is that this new millennium ushered in a new awareness of the brain and mind.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,150 views1/5 (1)

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Innovation Requires Courage to Confront Reality

“Innovation,” “Collaborative Leadership,” and “Trust” are three terms I’m seeing tossed around quite a bit in the articles and books I’m coming across. I agree that we are in need of change—in fact, transformation—but what I’m not seeing much of is how to confront reality. What does it take to develop innovation, collaborative leadership, and trust?

Primary topic: Empowerment

3,093 views2/5 (1)

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Gratitude Today Keeps the Doctor Away

Work and life balance is central to health, real wealth, and enjoyable relationships. Gratitude and appreciation are apparently little known secret ingredients to what everyone is really seeking: inner peace, meaning, and joy. Then we can “in joy” our efforts and monetary results and use money constructively and with greater purpose. Then “stuff” starts to lose its meaning, in general.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,169 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Not Enough Time? Change Your Focus

Productivity needs to be defined as accomplishing goals and dreams, not simply being ‘so busy’. In fact, if you keep talking about how busy and time-poor you are, you will likely waste time and energy. Why? Because talking about it is revealing that you are focused on lack of time instead of focusing on where you want to go.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,318 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

How You React or Respond to Crisis Can Make or Break Your Life

Your true potential will be elusive if you are fearful of change. In fact, if you want to expand the vision for your life, you will have to stop looking for the status quo. Most people have warning signs that they need to move on before things get to the point of crisis. Yet they tend to react and cling to the known world, misery and all, instead of empowering themselves to respond proactively. “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” ~Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,135 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Innovation: Do You “In-Joy” Your Work?

Today, let's talk about an innovative idea: "in-joy" your work by bringing joy to your work instead of seeking to extract joy from your work. Stop looking for joy and happiness in all the wrong places. What is a "wrong place"? Anything that is outside of yourself. Creativity is already within you. Peace is already within you, even in the midst of seeming outer chaos. Joy is already within you.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,241 views2/5 (1)

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Leadership is an Affair of the Heart and Mind

Collaborative Leadership is a partnership between the head and the heart, or the mind and the heart. It begins at this level before you can collaborate with other people. Gone are the days when people were willing to be dominated and controlled. I’m not saying that fear can no longer be used to manipulate people. What I am saying is it doesn’t have the stronghold it once did, in that people are now looking for engagement. They want inspiration and meaning; they want a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,344 views3/5 (1)

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Diversity and Inclusion Begins at the CORE

Diversity as a consulting arena was not something I was attracted to historically—until now. I notice that it too often seems to be only representation, which is better than nothing, or somewhat anyway. Just to have physical bodies in a room is really not creating a culture of inclusion and innovation. I attended a “diversity and inclusion” corporate event last week and I am inspired to see that some people are starting to realize that personal individual growth will need to be addressed as well as structure change to create inclusion.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,636 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Happiness: Are You Confusing Your Career with Your Life?

Happiness can be so fleeting for many because we have our priorities backwards. Many people connect their sense of self-worth with their career, with what they “do.” What you “do” is not the same as who you are. Now for many this statement will sound totally confusing. “Of course,” you may think, “I am what I do.” This is because since we were young children we’ve been conditioned to equate what we do and have with our worth.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,158 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

I Believe What I Believe Until…

I believe what I believe until I change my mind. Seasons change. And you have a birthright and choice to change yours too when it is expedient to do so. It’s not about what you believe as right or wrong as much as it is expanding your sense of self-actualization (as Maslow would have said), compassion, love, purpose, and meaning—for yourself and those you interact with. Does it expand your light and your vision for your life, or does it keep you in the darkness of fear?

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,020 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Leadership: Inspiring Others is Only the First Step

Our leadership “true potential” is not realized simply by inspiring others or feeling inspired or just having more information. Knowledge is not really power until it is applied. Recognition or an “aha” are only nice, interesting tidbits until you muster up the courage to make the change. Courage is a funny thing; it does not mean the absence of fear. It is primarily an intention to feel fear, but to go ahead and proceed anyway. Understanding the source of FEAR—mostly Fictitious Evidence Affecting Reality in our brain—can help to alleviate it.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,186 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

The Optimism Bias: Is it Bad for You?

Optimism and happiness are interconnected. With the world around us changing as rapidly as it is in our business environment these days, being optimistic can make a very significant difference. Yet, I sometimes hear online and offline comments that being optimistic is not realistic, or even “bad.” Somehow, people think that realism means we need to keep focusing on and talking about “what is,” the existing problem. Well, I agree with Einstein regarding the objectivity of “reality”: Reality is an illusion; albeit a very persistent one.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,721 views2/5 (1)

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Does Leadership Really Have a Gender?

The topic of leadership is being discussed online more than ever these days, or perhaps it’s just that I’m paying more attention now. Since we are undergoing rapid change in our social institutions, the need for real leadership is more urgent than ever before in my lifetime.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,176 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Happiness Helps Your Business – and Health – Bottom Line

Happiness is a perception that is subject to how one sees life, how one interprets their circumstances. Brain research essentially shows we create our reality by assigning the meaning to our lives. Research shows that our ability to create and manage positive emotions is one of the foundations for success (and happiness) in business and life.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,124 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

3 Clear Steps to Radically Change Your Life for the Better Today

Collaborative leadership, networking, team building and communication skills are all considered valuable and vital to business success in the evolving workplace. Typically, when a person decides that he or she wants to learn skill sets related to these areas, they proceed to learn techniques. While technique does matter, there’s much more to learning and applying skill sets than meets the eye – the physical eye, that is.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,523 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

3 Practical Spirituality Tips for Daily Earth Living

Practical spirituality is essential to live a whole, healthy, and integrated lifestyle. Your spirit/soul is actually the source of your “consciousness,” the root of your awareness, and the spark of life that is the core, real YOU. If you ignore it, it can negatively impact your overall wellness, peace of mind, and meaning to life.

Primary topic: Empowerment

917 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Ready, Fire – Got Aim?

Before you do another thing, are you clear about where you are going and why? We’ve become a society of frantic doers, not taking the time to reflect and get clear before taking massive action. And even when we do create a strategy, it is often in the old way of thinking, and so our plans have trouble taking root… the road map has changed, and we get so busy “doing” that we miss the signs along the way.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,109 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Our Environment is Not the Only Thing that Changes – So Do You

Change and transformation are happening in business and society at large, like it or not. We human beings are constantly changing, even at the level of our body’s cellular biology; yet vast numbers of people try to hold on to “just the way we are/I am” to avoid personal growth. When something shows up that contradicts our perceptual worldview, we tend to ignore our experience or intuition and disconnect from what our own inner truth is telling us as we attempt to cling to what we know. This will not allow you to adapt to change easily, by any means.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,128 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Leading Change: Emotion Can Make or Break the Best Laid Logic

Leading change can be tricky because not only does it take courage to innovate, it takes courage to breach subjects that make “stuck” cultures… well, stuck! There has been a tacit agreement in business culture to avoid addressing emotion/feelings at all costs. Yet, it is this very issue that creates dysfunctional teams that lead to financial waste and lack of employee engagement. It is also not good for change and innovation. Why? Until we address what creates “fear of change”—perceptions about feelings and emotion—we have essentially hit the proverbial brick wall.

Primary topic: Empowerment

941 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Set your Mindset for Success Instead of Sabotage

The mindset “not good enough” or “not enough” is blamed on our brain as if it is the brain’s fault. There’s a great reason why you want to take responsibility for this and not once again blame it on something you think you cannot control. The reason is you are not likely to change what you believe you can’t control. You can change your brain, your perception of how you see life.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,342 views2.3/5 (3)

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

The Power of Vulnerability is Fear-Less

Lack of vulnerability is one reason why team relationships are so dysfunctional. The lack of trust leads to people putting on their “persona” (the root word in ‘personality’) masks. In our culture, vulnerability is confused with the concept of weakness.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,100 views3/5 (1)

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Self-Acceptance and Confidence Make Business Networking Easier

Face it—social networking is not a new concept; it’s ancient. Human beings are social creatures and in-person contact cannot be replaced in its entirety by online social networking. I’ve thought about this before, and today I read an article in Fast Company on the topic. Skype is certainly closer to in-person networking than any of the three big social media platforms—Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn—yet in-person networking has many benefits. Here are three:

Primary topic: Empowerment

964 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Reaching True Potential Requires Self-Trust

Reaching true potential is easier said than done. We’ve conditioned our brain and mind to trust outside of our self. Once I garnered the courage to color outside the boundaries of what I was informed from those around me to be true, I really began to grow. Here’s the catch: I had to learn to trust myself. It’s amazing for me now to notice just how much we are willing to let science or others dictate to us what works for us and what doesn’t. Actually, there is much trial and error going on, even in science.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,002 views2/5 (1)

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Going Through Hell? – Keep Going!

Emotions are contagious, and how you focus your attention can either keep you stuck on how you feel or switch gears to where you want to go. It is our attention that is sitting in the driver’s seat of our mind. Most people seem not to know this. They think that if they keep talking about something, resisting it, pushing it away, worrying about it, or even thinking about it, somehow they can get rid of it or prevent what they fear from manifesting.

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,056 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

Peace of Mind and Adaptability to Change Depends on HOW You See

Innovation, adapting to change, and peace of mind depend not on what you see, but how you see it. Here are some tips to help you shorten your to-do list, increase your clarity, and decrease your overwhelm. Let’s look at work. There is so much busyness and “doing” that it has gotten out of control and is causing suffering and illness now.

Primary topic: Empowerment

908 views

By Valencia RayRecently published1 topic

The Authentic You: What, Who, and Why it Matters

Authenticity and personal power are linked. Authenticity is something I’m hearing or reading about quite a bit these days. What is authenticity, who is the authentic you, and why does it matter to your life? Authenticity is about mind with heart congruity, which leads to integrity, honesty, empathy, courage, and willingness “to thine own self be true.”

Primary topic: Empowerment

1,209 views2/5 (1)

Back to top ↑