Leaving to Live – Sometimes You Must
Six weeks ago, a young man arrived in the USA and became our newest client. For confidentiality, he’ll be called, “ Mark”. He’s a bilingual civil engineer with a story similar to many forced to leave everything they have. Leaving was required for him to live. It’s a choice that feels similar to the story…
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Can Leading with Compassion Get Results?
Over 90 days spanning November 2021- February 2022, I watched a 34-year-old rising manager lead his team in an exhausting round-the-clock march to complete a poorly conceived project by February 13, 2022. Why the push? The company had invested 2021 money in a vendor that advised them to push a product out or lose the money.…
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How Bad IS your Boss?
Throughout our careers, we’ll work with many bosses. Some good; some great; and some really bad bosses. By bad, I’m not talking about bosses with unethical or immoral bosses – please report these. Most bosses are regular folks whose skills, experience, and accountability don’t meet what’s needed for our success. In Managing Up by Mary Abbajay, the reality in which…
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Have You Earned the Right to Give Feedback?
Some of the most impactful information leaders get in their career is from the candid feedback of colleagues and clients that expect a lot and respect them enough to offer an outside perspective. We can all become the corporate legends we don’t want to be if people don’t care enough to tell us the truth…
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Interview: What is Coaching Anyway?
People spend millions of dollars every year on career coaching to help them realize their fullest potential. But what exactly is coaching, and how does it differ from consulting, therapy, mentoring, or training? And is it time and financial investment the right move for you and your career? Learn how coaching works and how it can help transform you and your organization in the changing workplace…
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Leadership Challenge: To Engage or Exhaust?
Too little too late for an exhausted workforce that had kept things afloat during a prolonged downturn and why this – and why now? This often happens during the stress of a business transformation. Leaders shift their attention from human systems that are charged with emotion, to non-human assets where savings and efficiencies can be…
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Have You Reached the Point of Burnout? Move from Tipping Point to Turning Point
As an executive coach, I get to work with tremendous people. These leaders work in everything from multinational companies to private equity groups, and not-for-profit organizations. And in times B.C. (before covid) to present – I’m seeing the impact of burnout showing up at levels I’ve not seen before. I’ve seen leader fatigue in the past resulting from long travel,…
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The Power of a Private Life
“There are many dimensions of political life – love, contempt, war – all of which are real but none of which have the power of the love that is possible in private.” There is much that can be said but doesn’t need to be about the recent events surrounding our country’s leadership. Many of us…
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Change: A Growth Mindset
(Photo provided by Miltiadis Fragkidis via Unsplash) The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States is rising. Yet, when I open my social media, the photos posted by friends seem like replicas of summers from years past. While most around the globe accept the reality of COVID-19’s existence, hundreds have refused to process the…
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Leading Well During a Crisis
Our decisions are most often made based on the results we predict and are able to measure. Results that matter seem to only be those quantifiable, tangible and written down. How well does this approach work when swift action is needed? How long does it take us to offer emotional support, compassion, and care for individuals…
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Building Connection in Divided Times
Diversity and Inclusion Diversity and inclusion are words we hear a lot – and the lack of them is always evident when tolerance wears thin during election season. Elections are one way of exercising the gift of freedom we receive as citizens of the US. I respect all citizens and their right to vote, no…
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Vulnerability and the Courage to Change
After a 10 hour day of back-to-back meetings, I realized I’d left behind some highly confidential client documents in a public place. Others could find, peruse and use the information to their advantage for a variety of reasons. The feeling was crushing – I couldn’t breathe and wanted to vomit. It was as if I’d…
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