Honor Your Grief During the Holidays
As an executive coach, I try not to offer my advice too often. I make an exception when it comes to grief. Why? Because I have more personal experience in this space than I would like, and have learned a lot of good, hard lessons along the journey. Also, because traditional Western societies are terrible […]
Curate Kindness to Cultivate Compassion
“Neurologists suggest that each time you choose not to act on your anger, you’re rewiring your brain to become calmer and more compassionate.” Here in the United States, we finally crossed the finish line after a very divisive election season. No matter how you feel about the results, it is time to breathe a […]
If Not Now, Then When? If Not You, Then Who?
The above questions have been rolling around in my head non-stop for the last two weeks, ever since an image of wall graffiti with these same questions caught my attention. It moved me to my core. “Why is this so powerful?” I wondered, until the following day when I heard myself ask these same questions […]
Gratitude In Grief
The next few weeks are packed with various flavors of grief milestones in my personal life – the death of my sister, the birthday of my son who tragically passed away two years later, the official bleak diagnosis of my Multiple Sclerosis, the end of summer and my 12-year-old returning to middle school. To honor, […]
Thoughtful. Inquisitive. Decisive Leadership
Recently I asked a client to name the top leadership qualities she admired in her current role model, who also happens to be the new leader of her company. Without hesitation she replied, “They are thoughtful, inquisitive, and decisive. That’s something I haven’t seen in senior leadership in quite some time.” She went on […]
Own Your Playbook
Have you ever been promoted or hired into a role previously held by a much beloved former leader? Perhaps a person who had shaped the role, team, projects and processes to fit their unique style? In this situation, what was your first instinct? To try to replicate and adopt their playbook? If so, how […]
The Importance of Teachability
Teachability is the ability to learn by instruction or being willing to be taught. It’s more than just studying for a test, and involves being humble, moldable, and willing in all situations. Teachability is a soft skill that can make or break an effective leader. It can help people embrace the unknown, as that’s where […]
Don’t Give Away Your Feathers
Last week I stumbled across a story I hadn’t heard in years. While I’m unsure of its origin, it reads like an Aesop’s fable. Remember those? Stories told to entertain while also teaching life lessons. This one beautifully illustrates the long-term cost of giving away your power and talent: There once lived a bird […]
The Dangers of “Fake It ‘Til You Make It”
How often have you heard people joke about simply “faking it until you make it?” In its most true definition, the phrase is meant to imply that by imitating confidence, competence, and a leadership mindset, a person can realize those qualities in their real life and achieve the results they seek. Unfortunately, the reality […]
The Leadership School of Life
My call to action for you: Stand in the truth of your own story and listen to what your life experience is telling you. Demand the credit you deserve, both from others and from yourself. How often do we give ourselves enough credit for the lessons we’ve learned through simply living? Through learning to pay […]