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No is a complete sentence
Why is "no" such a difficult thing to say? We're great at it when we're two. "No" seems to be our favorite word at that age (at least it was for my kids). But somewhere along the line we forget that ability; we forget the word. Someone asks us to do something that we...
From habit to intention: How to transform your daily life
“Live less out of habit and more out of intent.” ~Amy Rubin Flett Sometimes we go on autopilot. Sometimes this is necessary or helpful, and sometimes it keeps us stuck in old ways. I have realized even more in the last few years, just how precious and wildly wonderful...
How to prepare for an important conversation
It's time to have THAT conversation. In fact, it is probably long overdue. It could be a conversation that you are looking forward to, a job interview perhaps. And it also might be one that you are dreading, like a tough feedback discussion. Whether you are excited,...
Is silence a leadership skill?
“If everybody thought before they spoke, the silence would be deafening.” ~George Barzan I am definitely one of those people who “think out loud.” My business partner and I have an understanding that I can ramble on as we think through a challenge. It’s the way I...
Stick to your guns
How easily are you discouraged from doing something you want to do? How quickly do you bend to pressure? My nephew, Cameron, recently served as a great reminder that sometimes bucking popular opinion is the right way to go. Cameron was enrolled as an arts major at a...
How can you see more beauty?
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” ~Confucius I was on the phone with a client the other day, and she was frustrated. At herself. At her team. At the circumstances. She detailed for me what had happened. Long story short, she’d stepped away from work...
What do you plan to do with this one wild and precious year?
There is a quote from the poem, The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver. “What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Each time I read or hear this quote, it reminds me to pay attention. To value each day. To lean more into Thoughtful Leadership – being more...
The leadership practice of loving life.
"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back." ~Arthur Rubenstein I always cringe a bit when we write about love. It's a four-letter word and especially a four-letter word in the work world. But I think we need more of it anyway, so we write about it...
Your strengths can hurt you
I am a big proponent of 360-degree feedback – gathering the perspectives of your direct reports and staff, your peers, and your higher-ups to become more aware of how your behaviors, attitudes, and actions impact those around you. My own experience with receiving 360...
Sometimes you just have to sing your song
“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” ~Maya Angelou A client confided in me the other day that he really wanted to get involved with a certain project at work, but he was afraid to bring it up to his boss. “I might not be...
The keys to thriving hybrid teams: Trust and transparency
I have a client who loves to work from home and feels quite comfortable managing her leadership team remotely. Another client prefers to be in the office and is much more inclined to have frequent in-person meetings with his leaders. The hybrid workplace can be...
Where are you trying to go it alone?
“We cannot climb up a rope that is attached only to our own belt.” ~William Ernest Hocking The other day I noticed that all of my coaching calls seemed to have a theme. Each of my clients shared with me something that was going on for them that was tough. Some had...