One executing coaching tip to deepen your leadership skills As an executive coach, having clients with great leadership skills is a common occurrence. The specifics of why they work with me varies, but each seeks to solve an issue or improve in some regard. You may find it interesting, the resolution or improvement they seek always…
Nine months after joining the company, this young woman was promoted. (Yay!) She was also exhausted, frustrated, and disillusioned. Sadly, in less than a year, she lost confidence and trust in the management she once admired. Despite the promotion, she was looking for another job.
Applications of empathy has been on my mind this week…Have you ever argued about the details of a project or situation, only to eventually realize you were missing the big picture? It’s easy to do. In fact, just last week I watched a distinguished group of leaders go through cycles of “not seeing the forest…
Ever been on a call with someone and realize they were only halfway listening? It happened to me this week in a virtual coaching session. I could hear my client typing away. His responses were delayed and hedgy, and his tone told me his attention was elsewhere. Candidly, I felt irritated, disrespected, and like I…
There is no doubt about it – in the absence of facts, humans make assumptions. What’s more, we assume the negative more often than not. Have you ever convinced yourself someone did something for a particular reason, only to find out you were completely wrong? I know I have. I remember the time I assumed a…
How often do you ask yourself “what’s within my control?” If you find yourself frustrated and stressed-out often, you might want to start asking yourself that question more routinely. As humans (and you can multiply this for leader-humans), we tend to spend a whole lot of time and energy focused on things beyond our control….
Authentic leadership. What does it really mean and why should you, as a business leader, care? Let’s start literally: According to my Webster’s dictionary, ‘authentic’ means genuine, credible, real. My favorite applicable definition of ‘leadership’ is guiding by influence. Put them together and we get guiding with genuine, credible, real, influence. These days we are bombarded by falsehoods, half-truths,…
Have you ever hit a pothole and knocked your car out of alignment? You know it immediately, right? The car starts pulling off course and the steering wheel vibrates. You can tell it’s not OK by the way it feels. You also know, the longer you drive it that way the worse it gets. It’s similar…
The first half of this year has given us a plethora of reasons to reconsider what’s possible. What’s possible at work, at home, in our communities, our nation, our world. It has necessitated swift pivots, radical change, and the courage to do things in ways we have never done them before. 2020 is also serving as…
One of the hardest things for us humans to do is bring from the past only what is beneficial for us in the present. It has been said history is the best predictor of the future. I’ve said it many times myself – because it’s often true. Particularly in times of stress, we go on…
Did you know a pivot to the positive is the best way to solve your problems? This may sound counterintuitive but, I assure you, it is correct. Time spent talking about, worrying about, and stressing about what’s not working is like a multiplier for what’s not working. The more time and energy you give to the negative, the…
As a leader, if it seems you are constantly putting out fires and distracted from your priorities, evaluating the current level of trust amongst your team would be a worthwhile exercise. While you’re thinking about this, it may also behoove you to assess your relationships with your peers, boss and other executives. If you are…