The Lessons of Being Laid Off
The first time I was laid off was 2001. You read that right. I’ve been laid off twice in my career. And, with some distance, I’ve come to appreciate how both of those instances have made me a better human being and a better coach. But, let me not get ahead of myself. In the […]
The Power of One More Hour
I’ve yet to meet someone who says, “I have oodles of discretionary time.” Rather, most of the professionals I work with struggle to get everything on their overflowing “to-do list” done. When we do the work to identify what success means for them, they are sometimes confronted with the reality that there is dissonance between […]
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 […]
Going Back Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Going Backward
I recently spoke with a friend who is returning to a previous employer. While he is incredibly excited about the opportunity, the reaction he is receiving from friends and family is beginning to make him doubt his decision. So, I asked him a few questions to help him explore what was underneath those doubts. Why […]