A friend who is an entrepreneurial thinker said it’s time to make a “Cake List” when I told her I’d talked with a few people in the last week facing major career changes, i.e., job elimination, company restructuring, intentional leaving. “Marilyn” is one of them. She’s debating whether to stay in her current job of
“Phyllis” sounded down when we started our coaching call. I asked how things were going. “I’m frustrated with myself and some challenges at work,” she said. She’d recently started a new role in a new city and was learning the company culture. Soon, the underlying frustration surfaced. “My Doubt Demon has been dancing in and
A senior leader I’ve respected for years talked about how he handles delegating. It’s important to Rich that he knows the person before he’ll delegate key tasks. When Rich brings a new team member on board, he’ll schedule 1:1 time to get to know them. In the first meeting, he’ll give an example of something
Think of a time when someone explained to you what they wanted you to do. You received clear instructions, patient responses to your questions, encouragement to describe how you’d do it to ensure you ‘got it,’ with follow up that worked for both of you toward a successful outcome. If a mental picture of a
I learned the hard way that delegating is not one-size-fits-all. For years, in all my roles, I took action whenever my manager said, “I need…” In my mind, if they needed something I knew, had access to, or could get, I was glad to provide it. If they needed it asap, I shifted priorities to
When do you slow down enough to go within? I don’t mean paying attention to the thoughts that flit through your mind throughout your day (and night, for some of you). I mean giving yourself quiet time to be by yourself and ask what’s inside that wants to be expressed. Just be with yourself, your
A colleague was talking about my last week’s message about Paul. She thinks he should start his own consulting firm. Some of you wrote that he should stay in his current role so he can continue to have flexibility for his kids, which he truly values. A few thought he should move to the regional role
Paul is a solid player in a unique position with his company for years. Honest, straightforward, ethical, he gives his all at work. He also has a robust home life with his wife (works full time), two kids (teen and pre-teen) and two special needs dogs. He loves his family. Being a good dad is
I was asked recently who I enjoy working with most. That got me thinking about the leaders I’ve coached over the years, from CEOs to emerging leaders. I started jotting traits I admire in these people and, for some unknown reason, the words that streamed out started with B. I enjoy working with leaders who:
I was surprised to see her name on my phone at 5:27 pm on a Friday. I answered immediately wondering what was up, hoping it wasn’t bad news. “Mary, I have to tell you what happened today… WORDS MATTER. You’ve said it many times. Today I learned they really do.” I wondered where this was