A colleague shared one of her favorite motivational philosophies with me, and it struck a chord. She says she tells clients – who are mostly female lawyers – that they must sow seeds in productive fields in order to reap rewards. As I unpacked the dense meaning of Kimberly Rice’s words, my thoughts returned over […]
Read More →Soft Skills For The Future The folks at Fast Company talked to job experts to find out what skills will be most important to employers in the future. Here are five that you may or may not see in the job posting. Storytelling – being able to figure out the needs of stakeholders and then […]
Read More →Real Data or Embedded Opinions? In this era of big data, more and more companies conduct business based on information that is gathered and run through algorithms. In a recent Ted Talk, mathematician and data scientist Cathy O’Neil asks the troubling question, “What if the algorithms are wrong?” O’Neil finds fault with the way we […]
Read More →Can’t Sleep? This May Be Why. There is nothing better than a good night’s sleep. But, if you’re struggling to sleep at night, a University Of Houston College of Optometry study says your smartphone, tablet or flat screen TV might be to blame. For two weeks, study participants wore short wavelength-blocking glasses three hours before […]
Read More →You’ve probably heard the expression, “In life, it’s not what happens to you that matters, it’s how you respond.” Many of our greatest heroes understood and lived those words. For instance, Nelson Mandela, who didn’t allow years of being jailed to stand in the way of being forgiving, or becoming President of the nation that […]
Read More →Resistance is data. Don’t make it a problem. Don’t push against it, get angry, or wonder, “What’s wrong with them?” When I say resistance, I’m referencing those moments when you feel others are working in opposition to you. They’re saying, “No,” for no apparent reason, countering your good ideas, being confrontational and unhelpful, fighting against […]
Read More →Think about something you’ve learned. For example, how to manage meetings, make effective presentations, write well, play tennis or golf. How to be a good listener, a great salesperson, teacher, parent or surfer. Whatever you know how to do today, you’ve learned it by degrees. I call it learning in layers. The first layer of […]
Read More →Buddha said, “Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living.” This reminds me to look beyond the story of my limited, personal truth about situations and people. Whether in the workplace or in our private lives, we have to look beyond our limited understanding to see truth. For […]
Read More →Part 1 – Unlearning To Make Room For New Thinking We have been taught to focus on learning whatever is needed to propel ourselves forward, particularly in our careers. Yet, to make room for growth and to keep pace with our changing world, especially if we want inclusion to be the new norm, we […]
Read More →During a recent workshop, a participant confessed his lack of empathy – a core dimension of emotional intelligence. He said, “I don’t have any, and I don’t know how to begin to think about feeling the way others do.” Given the laughter and head nodding from the others in the room, he was not alone. […]
Read More →Part 1 I enjoy ads and commercials. The good ones stick with me. I’m impacted by their images, sounds and words. The best ones have a dramatic tagline or slogan – a succinct, repeatable core message about the product or service that conveys the essence of what the company wants you to believe and remember. […]
Read More →My book, LIES That Limit, makes it clear that mindset – what we believe, how we think – is everything. Mindset is the composite of our beliefs and assumptions – our theory about life, other people, even ourselves. We feel safe when we make choices consistent with our story about the way things are. Yet, […]
Read More →We often focus exclusively on education and what we must learn in order to propel ourselves forward. Continual learning is critical for anyone who values keeping pace with the expectations of today’s business environment. But, just as there is much to learn, there are also many things we must unlearn in order to make room […]
Read More →Robin has a standing meeting, every Friday, from 3 to 4 PM. That hour is blocked on his calendar for the full year. Every once in a while, due to pressing matters, he has to change it. But, he doesn’t let it go. He moves to earlier in the day or week, or first thing […]
Read More →Are you in the midst of a career transition? If so, consider this: A specialist in career coaching can help you inventory your skills and talents, clarify what you really want, including identifying new and interesting ways to use your current skills. They can help you develop your resume, refine your job search strategy, mine […]
Read More →Looking for A Way to Avoid Telling Someone Where to Go? When I walked into his office, Will’s head was down, his brow looked furrowed, he was breathing deeply and writing furiously. I waited until he finished and asked, “What are you working on?” “I’m writing out my rage!” He smiled, pushed his pad aside […]
Read More →Tricks That May Put More Hours Into Your Day Overwhelming to-do lists are pretty common these days. There are lots suggested techniques for getting more done. These three, which I found in a Business.com article by Andrew Reiffenberger, are innovative. Put your cellphone in airplane mode when at your desk. This will reduce distraction from […]
Read More →Frequently leaders complain to me about employees who miss deadlines, are disorganized or who put things off until the last minute. If you’re someone who easily juggles multiple priorities and gets things done in a reasonable amount of time without being reminded, it’s easy to believe that this skill is innate to everyone. Today’s job […]
Read More →Successful managers understand that they must adapt their leadership style to the situation at hand. In their book, Primal Leadership, Daniel Goleman, and his coauthors identify six effective and emotionally intelligent ways to lead. The Affiliative & the Democratic Leader The Affiliative Leader puts people first, focuses on harmony and emotional connection, and encourages inclusion. […]
Read More →Well-meaning Collaboration Can Burn Your Superstars Out If your team of superstars is morphing into burned out zombies and productivity is waning, Eric Garton, co-author of “Time, Talent, Energy: Overcome Organizational Drag and Unleash Your Team’s Productive Power,” says look no further than your company culture. He writes in the Harvard Business Review that three […]
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