COVID Brain Part 2: Coaching Conversations I have a client who has struggled w/ depression in the past and is struggling with isolation now. In a recent coaching session (in which he wanted to “work through some of the negative shit”), I asked him this question: What are you learning about yourself as a result … Read more
Part 1: From The Pandemic Lockdown, Day 159 How long have you been in lockdown, or working from home, or having to balance kids and job and worry about the return to school, or feeling separated from loved ones? Too long, right? I thought I was doing OK. Then two weeks ago (day 143, but … Read more
The experience of COVID19 Lockdown is as varied as the people who’ve had to live through it – which means there are several billion stories. Yet we are forming a global memory of a universal challenge. One dimension of that shared experience is, in my observation, a deeper appreciation for the broad range of human … Read more
What Does It Mean To Be Present? Remember, Leadership is not about a title; anyone can be a Leader who creates a positive experience for others. I typically end my essays with a tip like above, but today let’s start with a reminder that leaders are people who make a difference for others, usually through … Read more
I’ve traveled extensively in the past month, adding stamps to my passport from Netherlands, Czechia, Japan, and Singapore – and of course the US when I returned. The experience of passing through Customs and Immigration in those first four countries was fairly pleasant. “Hello, how are you? How long will you be in our country? … Read more
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
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