What can you learn from a softball mom?
Most of my weekends in the late spring and summer are spent on softball fields in various states, mostly along the east coast. It has been a four-year journey that I have been enjoying with my daughter, a travel softball player. Her primary position is as a catcher, and her secondary position is at third […]
360 feedback and influence.
Receiving feedback from direct reports, peers, and managers can be challenging to digest. My mindset in these moments is that there is a grain of truth in almost every piece of feedback I receive because, for the person giving the feedback, this is how they perceive me. However, this does not always lessen the sting […]
The Last 30 Days.
Barring exigent circumstances, how you resign from your job and depart from an organization matters. A lot has been written about the first 90 days of a job but not very much about the last 30 days of a job. A 2021 Gallop analysis found that 48% of the working population is actively searching or […]
Employee fear: anxiety and phobias.
As a manager, how do you know if you have an employee suffering from anxiety in the workplace? Before digging into anxiety, it helps to understand fear. Fear is a natural emotion that all of us experience as humans. When we think about the word fear, we usually think about it in primal terms, an […]
How to start thinking like a futurist.
Resistance to change can be a limiting factor in futuristic thinking. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has opened the gateway for futuristic conversations because we are all swimming in change and uncertainty as we move toward a new equilibrium. It is no longer out of the realm of possibility to see a shift in business practices […]
Working long hours? Rx: You need a hobby.
Have you noticed that your work sometimes feels as if it expands or contracts to whatever period of time you set aside for it? This phenomenon is known as Parkinson’s Law which states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” When I was a young child, I remember having […]
The penalty box.
Have you ever felt as if you have been placed in the “penalty box” by your manager? Everyone has at one time or another. But why is that? There can be many reasons. Sometimes we misinterpret what a manager or leader says; at other times, we fill in the gaps with our own narrative, and […]
Your mental health matters.
Part of the ritual of driving my daughter to school is listening to music. A few months ago, she hopped into the car and grimaced because I was listening to Daniel Goleman’s book “Emotional Intelligence.” After asking, she disconnected my phone and selected her phone for Apple CarPlay. We then listened to a song by […]
Balance is aspirational; diversification is life.
In my study, a.k.a. home office, I have a wooden plaque on my windowsill that reads, “She believed she could, so she did.” It is a very empowering quote that fills me with fuel and reminds me that I have great strength within and can take on any obstacle if I apply my knowledge, skills, […]
Who’s Got Your Back?
One of the most memorable managerial light bulb moments I have had was interviewing for a development leadership position. It was a robust interview schedule. One of the interviews was with a team of about six who reported up to the vacant role. By the questions they asked, it was apparent they had taken the […]
Going dark, what it means to me and why I do it.
Why do we feel stressed when we think about taking time off from work? What if I told you that not taking a vacation could be detrimental to your career. Did you know that of those employees in the United States who receive paid vacation time, approximately 55% are not using all of their paid […]
Time Management – The dark side of the moon.
Yes, that is a Pink Floyd reference; I could not resist the 80’s. People tend to use the phrase “dark side of the moon” to mean something unknown or mysterious. That is how elusive time can be, at least in my experience. Have you heard the saying, “Work expands so as to fill the time […]
The “Great Resignation” + 4 ways to check in with your team.
The Great Resignation is a term that has been used to describe employee turnover during the Coronavirus pandemic. It sounds fearful, as if employees are running away from the workforce in droves. Each time I hear that term, I think of Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation, a tribute to a cultural generation fighting for country, […]
A nod to the Oscars: “King Richard,” lessons about life and leadership.
This year there are ten movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. In our ongoing journey exploring lessons about life and leadership, I thought it would be fun to take a closer look at one of these contenders and see what gems it gives us. My Oscar pick goes to King Richard, a biographical […]
Bloom where you are planted.
“Bloom where you are planted” is a quote I have often come to love and use. I first heard it when I was interviewing for a job. It was early in my career. I had moved from one state to another, and on my resume, the work experience I listed showed that I had moved […]
