Why Do I Need a Coach?
When folks find out that I am a leadership coach, I’m typically met with the question, “why would I need a coach?” The two primary reasons I see for engaging a coach are to become better at the position you are already in or to prepare you for new/different/bigger things. Let’s explore each of these […]
The Importance of Creating Clarity
I’ve had two conversations recently that highlighted the importance, as a leader, of creating clarity for your organization. While one looked retrospectively over the course of 2022, the other focused prospectively on 2023, and both had implications for the employees of their respective organizations. In the first situation, the person I was speaking with described […]
You Inspired Me to Take My Dream Off Hold
Recently, I presented my first-ever hybrid workshop. I knew three things coming into this session. First, that the participants of this organization were “worn down.” They’d been through a tumultuous time. As a result, they’d “armored up” to protect themselves. So there wasn’t a high degree of trust or psychological safety. This meant that I […]
How Much Time Are You Spending in Your Zone of Genius?
In speaking with a client the other day, he expressed his frustration that he was stuck. That he didn’t have time to do the stuff he wanted to be doing — and, in some cases, the stuff that was important to the organization — because he was caught up in a never-ending cascade of ‘busy […]
Can You Be Successful AND Happy?
I am often asked the question, “can you be successful and happy?” and I can appreciate why this is such a difficult concept for individuals to grasp. Society has conditioned us to believe that happiness is the price we have to pay if we are to be successful. In fact, society has done a pretty good job […]
Leveraging Difference
I was honored recently when a friend sent me the pre-release of the inaugural episode of her new podcast, “Level Up.” The premise of the podcast is to explore how music can influence you – your outlook, your attitude, your productivity. She does this by interviewing musicians – both to understand the music that has […]
What Part of This Situation Do You Own?
When we find ourselves in conflict – whether with a coworker, family member, or friend – we tend to focus on the other person’s faults, and what they should be doing differently. And while these observations may be accurate, there are two things I know to be true. First, we cannot change someone else, and […]
The Power of Setting Intentions
I recently received the following text message in the middle of the workday, “Hey Lisa! I could use a few minutes of your time when you get a moment. Slightly time sensitive. I’d like to get your opinion on something. Let me know when you can talk. Thanks!” I immediately picked up the phone and […]
When Process Gets in the Way of Progress
In the past 24 hours, I have experienced 3 incidents where process has trumped progress. I take this as a sign that there is a blog post waiting to be written. The first incident occurred yesterday. A system I use went through a “significant upgrade” to improve the user experience. Unfortunately, in doing so, the […]
Are You Focusing On What Matters Most?
Does it seem like week after week you find yourself making little progress on your goals because you are so mired in the minutiae? For example, you spend hours on end attending to emails only to have your inbox magically refill again overnight. So, you get to the end of your week feeling as though […]