Understanding What Triggers You

A few weeks ago, I got completely hijacked by my fundamental needs. I thought it might be helpful for you to see just how easily it can happen, and how important it is to recognize that this is what is happening. In recognizing it, you are able to determine what you need to do to […]
Preparing for Coaching

At the beginning of a coaching engagement, it is important for your coach to learn several things about you in order to be of the best service to you. The first would be why you sought out coaching to begin with. In other words, what is the goal you are trying to achieve? As important, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Looking For a Sign

As a leader, it is important to be transparent and explicit in communication. Remote work has exacerbated the need for clarity in communication. Employees are trying to interpret the messages they are getting from their leaders. Here are two examples to illustrate this point: If a leader sends an email at 3 am, what is […]
Out of Sight, Out of Mind

While there has been quite a bit written about the Great Resignation and the inability to hire, I’ve seen less attention paid to the issues surrounding onboarding new hires. And yet, many of the conversations I’ve had lately have pointed to just how poorly organizations are doing integrating new hires — and how this has […]
Asking for Help is a Sign of Strength

When we decide to “go it alone,” we miss an opportunity to build community and to build trust with others. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you’ve got to run around all day long asking for help on every little thing you are doing. What I am saying is that, far too often, […]
Stop Trying To Do Too Much

I believe that we have misinterpreted the word, “productivity.” We strive to see how many “things” we can check off of our “to-do” list each day. And there is this sense of deep pride when we talk about all we have to get done and just how busy we are. My question, though, is when […]
Tony is Wonderful!

“Tony is wonderful!” This is a standing joke between my husband and me. Whenever he sees me writing in my journal, he proclaims loudly, “Tony is wonderful,” inviting me to memorialize this in my journal. While this is just a cute exchange between the two of us, it got me thinking about motivation. As organizations […]
We Lead in Relationship to Others

A friend of mine recently sent me an article by Jesse Sostrin called Who You Are Is How You Lead. Jesse suggests that “[Leadership] is the simple act of being who you are in the company of others.” I think in our search for authenticity, we focus on the first half of this statement…let me figure […]