I asked my sister in NY if she had ever experienced a man she worked with saying anything inappropriate to her. She remembered one incident as if it were yesterday. What she said to her boss’ boss in front of a group of men made me cheer! It was decades ago, she was a secretary at a major airline at JFK airport. She was asked to get
At the center of your being you have the answers; you know who you are and you know what you want. Lao Tzu This quote resonates with me each time I read it. It is why I coach. Everyone, including you, has a unique brilliance. It is there within you. Tap into your brilliance today.
Carolyn, a Quiet Leader (QL) in a global company, has a manager whose rule is that group decisions made at staff meetings are final. He doesn’t want them coming to him later asking to re-discuss. His position is: We are too busy to re-hash topics. If a decision is made by the group, it is time to move on. I
As I sit here writing to you, I am thinking of all the people who were in Hurricane Irma’s path, and Harvey’s, too, and my heart is with you. We were without power for two days, with lots of limbs and debris on the ground, but no damage to our home. We are among the lucky ones.
I stood on the back of the fast ferry to Nantucket for an hour in each direction, the wind whipping my hair in all directions. My travel mates preferred the air conditioned comfort inside. For me, the ocean air and alone time were comfort. Something in my inner core responds to being near the water. Ocean, lake, river, stream, heck,
Negative assumptions. We all make them. When I ask people around the world if they make assumptions, they always say yes, every day. When I ask if their assumptions are mostly positive or negative, their immediate response is ‘negative.’ It’s universal. These assumptions are spontaneous thoughts that minimize or put down our ideas. They lock
She (I’ll call her Naomi) came to the Mastermind call angry about a situation. She needed to talk it out. The situation involved a leader who is dismissive of Naomi and her department, except when he needs something. She was dreading a meeting at HQ in a couple of days because he had not collaborated
“You don’t make mistakes, mistakes make you.” This statement hit me as if it were meant for me. It’s so true. Mistakes raise our awareness. Make us think, question our actions, and decide what we will do differently. They contribute to our growth and strengthen us. For many, mistakes have been a catalyst for change. Some
Quiet Leaders listen, consider, reflect. That doesn’t mean they’re not engaged. As Stephen Hawking said, “Quiet people have the loudest minds.” Toward the end of a webinar, the leader asked “What questions do you have?” to the group of more than 100 participants. Crickets. She allowed silence to reign for a bit, then asked again, “What questions do you
When asked what is a Quiet Leader, I typically say “Every Quiet Leader is unique, just as you are unique.” Quiet Leaders (QLs) have different styles, personalities, points of view, strengths, interests, levels of outgoingness. Many are reflective, thoughtful before they speak. Others are outgoing, spontaneous. But all QLs have one thing in common: the