Uncategorized

Use It or Lose it

Download a PDF Version Now Use It or Lose It by Michael Donahue The Idea of Elemental Human Resources “We become adapted to the lack of use of our basic human resources and they respond by becoming unfamiliar to us.” It was 1998 and I was pointing to the quote above, scrawled on a sheet of flip chart paper resting on a tripod, in a dark classroom in Denver’s East High School. Most of the assembled teens were students of color. There were more boys than girls and they were part way through their freshman year of high school. All had been identified by the school administration as “likely to drop out of school.” Some of

By Brady Rhodes|2026-05-10T10:06:17-06:00May 10th, 2026|Uncategorized|0 Comments

A Mentoring Tool

"It's All Good" - A Training Tool For Mentors By Michael Donahue and Brady Rhodes Note: BoldLeaders has been training mentors, designing mentoring programs and mentoring young people and adults for 20+ years. We have developed several tools, contexts and supports to help facilitate relationships and growth for mentor/mentee pairs, including group mentoring. Check out what we have to offer here, and feel free to contact us to help troubleshoot your program. A new mentor stopped me at lunch during a training workshop and asked me “Why do you keep telling us to keep in mind ‘It’s all good’? That seems like a cop-out to me! I thought you want us to have

By Brady Rhodes|2021-06-15T14:18:48-06:00June 15th, 2021|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Learning Coaches: An Option For Re-Imagined Learning

PDF Download of this post A positive aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic was the opportunity to restructure the teacher-student relationship. It provided opportunities for teachers, parents, mentors and community members to re-orient themselves as Learning Coaches. A Learning Coach is someone who sees and says things to help a student win at his or her learning. The context is a small yet fundamental shift away from teaching. Instead of content instruction, the focus is on relationship-centric practices that foster agency, growth and learning habits. Even though we are back to in-person instruction, utilizing the perspective and approach of a Learning Coach can radically shift the relationship between Teacher and Student. To do this well, we work

By Brady Rhodes|2024-01-07T07:29:35-07:00June 4th, 2020|Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable, Listening, Minding the Gap, Participation, Relationship, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Getting and Giving Permission – A Profound Act of Relationship

Minding the Gap: Permission (A PDF Download is available for free above) People are automatic, habitual listeners. There is a routine way that you listen. You get used to listening a certain way over time and that becomes your go-to, without you ever choosing. It is like a potluck: someone says ‘bring a dish to share’ and you automatically go to your homemade salsa, fruit salad, dessert or whatever it is you always bring to share. Because you often do not choose how you listen, each day you may feel like you are not being heard, or you notice you are not listening to others. We have only found two ways to counter that

By Brady Rhodes|2021-01-12T11:35:40-07:00June 2nd, 2020|Uncategorized|1 Comment

Best Virtual Meeting Strategies #3

**With so many meetings taking place virtually, how can you help people connect and maintain team performance? We are sharing effective strategies to boost engagement taken from our online Minding the Gap Master Class that are just as helpful in virtual world, where the "Gap" is often very evident. Learn More About Our Online, On-Demand Course! Without a doubt, the most common mistake we witness with educators, managers or facilitators happens within the first 10 minutes of working with a group. Quite simply, they start too fast. We know from research and our own 25+ years experience that it takes time for people to join in and get on the same page with you. You may have

By Brady Rhodes|2024-01-07T07:07:56-07:00April 28th, 2020|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Best Virtual Meeting Strategies #2

**In this new normal of remote work, how can you help connection thrive and maintain team performance? We are sharing effective strategies to boost engagement taken from our online Minding the Gap Master Class that are just as helpful in this new virtual world, where the "Gap" can be very evident. One of the ideas from last week - "Begin Before It Begins" - received this comment from an educator in Nebraska: "I have been scheduling weekly Zoom calls which have been good but I have been disappointed with the low numbers of students participating. Then I realized I was only sending out one short post on the Remind App. I decided after reading the post to

By Brady Rhodes|2020-04-20T06:37:01-06:00April 17th, 2020|BoldLeader Principles, Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable, Leadership, Listening, Minding the Gap, Participation, Possibility, Relationship, Uncategorized, Vulnerability|0 Comments

Best Virtual Meeting Strategies #1

Learn More About Our Online, On-Demand Course! **In this new normal of remote work, how can you help connection thrive and maintain team performance? Over the next two weeks we will share effective strategies to boost engagement taken from our Minding the Gap Master Class that are just as helpful in this new virtual world, where the "Gap" can be very evident. Companies and teams are several weeks in now to this new reality of virtual meetings. If you were not used to them before or find yourself going a bit crazy after five hours of staring at Brady Bunch-like views of your colleagues, the three ideas below may help. 1. Begins Before it Begins Remember

By Brady Rhodes|2021-01-12T12:47:08-07:00April 12th, 2020|Leadership, Minding the Gap, Participation, Relationship, Uncategorized|2 Comments

Daily Practice #1 – Elementals: Relationship and Movement

In the midst of shelter-in-place and quarantine, and as we all practice different ways of being and doing, BoldLeaders will offer regular posts to share ways to use your Elementals. The Elementals are core aspects of being human that we all share. We like to say they are "the doing of being". One of the best parts about practicing the Elementals is that they get you into ACTION. Mental health experts are warning us that one of the biggest challenges to the current situation is a kind of mental atrophy that can easily set in when forced to limit your activities and location. Take a look at the Elementals below and use the questions to stimulate actions you can

By Brady Rhodes|2020-03-25T06:36:50-06:00March 25th, 2020|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Recent Updates With BoldLeaders 2019

As 2019 comes to a close, here are the current happenings at BoldLeaders. Find a way to participate and plug in below! During the last two years our Bold Fellows program has done incredible work around the world. This program open to past participants and other stakeholders who are working on (or want to develop) social impact projects within their community. To date the Fellows have worked with over 31,000 people! Keep an eye on our Facebook page and in newsletters to hear more and more updates and reports from the Bold Fellows. As you can tell, we continue to upgrade and maintain our website! Be sure to investigate our three call to action items: For the

By Brady Rhodes|2020-04-17T11:23:46-06:00December 20th, 2019|Basic Human Resources, External Projects, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Elemental Human Resources – Use It or Lose It

Michael Donahue wrote about the origins of BoldLeaders' practice of Elemental Human Resources in this essay. The story continues to evolve and we are always interested in your perspectives, so please comment below! Use It or Lose It The Idea of Basic Human Resources “We become adapted to the lack of use of our basic human resources and they respond by becoming unfamiliar to us.” -Alexis Carrel- It was 1998 and I was pointing to the quote above, scrawled on a sheet of flipchart paper resting on a tripod, in a dark classroom in Denver’s East High School. Most of the assembled teens were students of color. There were more boys than girls and they were

By Brady Rhodes|2019-05-11T16:55:10-06:00March 23rd, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments