A friend recently told a story to a conference crowd: A traveler climbing a hill saw another man ahead of him running and running. Then he saw the man stop. Then he began running fast again. And again, he stopped. Over and over he repeated this cycle. Eventually the traveler caught up to the … Read more
Additional points of wisdom from Prague. Your job is NOT to be Wallpaper. Whatever you’ve been given, use it. Show up. Be you. The world needs all the help it can get! We still believe the deep expertise and planning are the keys to success, but in a VUCA* world, flexibility and diverse thinking … Read more
Last week I attended a global conference for coaches held in Prague, Czech Republic. I knew it was going to be one heck of a learning journey when my head was already popping with new ideas from the conversations I had at the opening reception, before attending any learning sessions! My own talk on day … Read more
Five Simple Things You Can Do Every Day To Build Trust With Your Team Practice Humility. Admit when you don’t know. Own it when you’ve made a mistake. When you let others see how you can embody confidence even as you confess fallibility, you give permission for them to take bigger risks, fail, and feel … Read more
I love to play with tight language, which is why Haiku has always been my favorite poetic form (17 syllables and rigid rules, yet infinite possibilities). I also love the brutal simplicity of six-word essays, a format over which I obsessed in high school (see https://www.sixwordmemoirs.com for more) Since January I have attended 28 … Read more
Yes, You Can Get Ahead Without Losing Your Mind! I got this question from one client, but it’s a question I hear frequently. If this resonates for you, please share! Q: I want to move up in my organization, but in this culture you’ve got to move fast and always be producing. It’s very stressful! … Read more
As a thought leader and mentor in the coaching space, I often receive inquiries from people who want to explore coaching as a profession or a skillset, and who seek advice from someone who successfully navigated that path already. In a 20-minute conversation, I can load them up with ideas and resources about coaching. Central … Read more
Recently I was guest on the Leadership Hacks Podcast with my esteemed colleague, Jill Windelspecht, a fellow executive coach and organization consultant. Jill invited me to bring my best hack (shortcut/workaround) to the conversation, so I showed up with the most basic tool in my box: Breathing. You’ve heard me say it before: if you … Read more
The Four Building Blocks Rapid Culture Assimilation™ succeeds on a foundation of four Building Blocks: Building Block #1: Clarity You know exactly where you want the organization to go, and what the future looks like, right? Ah, but does everyone else share the same vision? Sadly, and despite your many PowerPoint presentations, probably not. Using … Read more
Most employees are already Unhappy, so it doesn’t take much effort to nudge them into Insecurity, as well. Here’s a quick reminder of how easy it is to keep your ungrateful subordinates in their place: under your control.** Keep Them Guessing. Tell them nothing that’s not essential to their tiny little jobs. First, it’s none of their … Read more