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Eight ways to avoid blowing up at work
On a recent train ride my husband struck up a conversation with a fellow passenger who was a banker. They talked about the work they do and their families. When my husband mentioned that I am an executive coach the banker smiled and said, "I had a coach last year. I...
Nothing is more important than breathing, and here’s why
"Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is a wonderful moment." ~Thich Nhat Hanh A client came to his session the other day clearly upset about an interaction with his boss. The truth is, my client had said...
Can bad bosses be saved?
Often we assume poor leaders and bad bosses are hopelessly stuck in their worst behaviors. Yet a recent post, Bad Leaders Can Change Their Spots, at HBR.org shares research that shows that, with clear developmental focus, the lowest-rated leaders can show significant...
Catch them when they fail
“A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success.” ~Anonymous We coach and teach clients to offer more praise, to provide more positive feedback, and to catch people doing things right. All of these are important and...
Why stealing credit is never a good idea
"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." ~Harry S. Truman "I can't believe my boss took credit for my ideas," my client said to me the other day during a coaching session. "She asked me for my thoughts, debated my suggestions,...
Slow it down and keep it real
A recent blog post on the HBR Daily Alert caught my eye, the title of which was "It's time for a slow conversation." We are huge proponents of Thoughtful Leadership™ – taking the time to reflect, assess, and lead with more intention, purpose, and thought. So the idea...
Where are you choosing to be miserable?
“Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy.” ~Cynthia Nelms This is one of my favorite sayings. Each time I read it I stop and smile. I think of all the time and energy I can waste being miserable and dissatisfied…and remember it’s always...
The one thing that may be more empowering than focusing on your strengths
Other than her iconic role as Princess Leia, I didn’t know much about Carrie Fisher. As I watched past interviews of her and read stories about her after her death, I was struck by her openness and willingness to talk about her struggles – with drug addiction, mental...
The lies we tell ourselves and how they hurt us
"The greatest happiness is to know the source of your unhappiness." ~Fyodor Dostoyevski I spent the weekend with dear friends. Dear friends whom I've known for a long, long time. As always, when we get together, there was laughter, conversation, food, wine, a-ha...
Why getting over your fear of asking a dumb question is great for your team
Yesterday we said farewell to Ella, our exchange student from Australia. Her visit with us was a whirlwind with several trips into New York City to see the sights and soak up the liveliness of the New York holiday scene. But the time I enjoyed most was sitting around...
Treat them with love and respect
“If you would be loved, love, and be loveable.” ~Benjamin Franklin Recently I’ve had quite a few conversations around the concept of “love as a verb.” I’ve shared the Stephen Covey story of the couple who approaches a learned man for guidance. “We don’t love each...
5 simple steps to lead more effectively
If only it were that easy to lead, that we could break it down into five simple steps. The world is much more complex. People are complicated; situations are multi-layered; and options abound. If only it were that simple. In some ways it is. The world is complex and...
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