May You Experience Peace and Joy

Cathie Leimbach • December 21, 2021

The festive season has arrived! Bright lights and appealing decorations are all around us! The air is full of happy celebration!


Peace and joy are abundant in the communities around us. Are you feeling this peace and joy in your heart, at work, and at home?


When people like their work they are more productive and have a more positive life experience. One of the main contributors to people liking their job is that they are making a difference at work because their job matters and they are doing their job well. When people are confident in these areas, they feel valued and stable, giving them a sense of peace about their livelihood.


Another contributor to people liking their job is having friendly relationships at work. When someone is appreciated and feels comfortable appreciating others, when workplace colleagues trust each other, and when coworkers smile and regularly greet each other in a friendly manner, they experience joy and contentment at work. And these positive emotions spill over into their personal lives.


If your workplace is a place of peace and joy, continue to be a leader who positively impacts the environment around you. If this isn’t your work experience, what can you do to inject positivity and appreciation so you and others can start experiencing peace and joy at work.


Thinking about being positive and appreciating the diversity of people around me brings back wonderful memories of enthusiastic sing-alongs at Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario events. Hundreds of teens and young adults expressed peace and joy as we sang the following chorus written by Paul and Ralph Colwell.


Up! Up with people! You meet ‘em wherever you go,
Up! Up with people! They’re the best kind of folks we know.
If more people were for people, All people ev’rywhere,
There’d be a lot less people to worry about, And a lot more people who care.


Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!



May you experience peace and joy and be a source of peace and joy for others.  

How Managers Drive 70% of Performance

By Cathie Leimbach • February 17, 2026
Most CEOs focus on strategy, systems, and talent. But the biggest driver of performance is already in place: managers. Manager behavior influences about 70% of team engagement and results. What happens in everyday conversations matters more than perks, pay, or policies. Managers either multiply energy or drain it. Clear, supportive managers raise performance. Avoiding, inconsistent managers quietly lower it. The good news? Small habits make a big difference: Clarifying expectations Giving timely feedback Addressing issues early Reinforcing priorities These moments add up. Instead of telling managers to “motivate people,” try asking: Where might expectations be unclear? Where is inconsistency allowed? What conversation is being avoided? When managers improve just a little, results improve a lot. 👉 Join our 60-minute Leadership Conversation to explore how everyday manager habits quietly shape engagement and results.

Why Engagement Isn’t About Perks

By Cathie Leimbach • February 10, 2026
When engagement drops, many organizations reach for perks—rewards, programs, or incentives. These can create a short lift, but they rarely solve the real issue. Engagement starts with expectations. Most people want to do good work. What gets in the way isn’t motivation—it’s uncertainty. When priorities shift, roles feel unclear, or success means different things to different leaders, people disengage quietly. Leaders often don’t realize they’re contributing to this. Vague direction, inconsistent follow-through, or assuming “they already know” leaves teams guessing. Over time, guessing turns into frustration—and frustration turns into disengagement. Strong engagement cultures focus on leadership basics: Clear priorities Shared definitions of success Aligned expectations Consistent reinforcement When expectations are clear, people move with confidence. They take ownership, collaborate better, and stay engaged because they know where they’re headed. Perks can support engagement—but only after clarity is in place. 👉 Read our full article on Why Engagement Starts With Expectations to turn clarity into a real advantage.