Empathy is not the same as sympathy. Empathy is about understanding others' viewpoints. Today, more organizations recognize the importance of empathy. It's a give and take. All stakeholders are encouraged to make an effort to show understanding & compassion. All stakeholders are interested in promoting a positive working environment. Empathy organically increases … [Read more...]
Managing Perception: How Nice is ‘Too Nice’ in the Workplace?
Managing the perception of how nice is 'too nice' in the workplace could prove daunting. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve been told that being nice doesn’t belong in the workplace. As a woman, it seems that particular viewpoint is even more prevalent. When others see you as having a ‘nice’ demeanor, there is a misleading association with weakness. With the … [Read more...]
Developing High Performing Talent
The most valuable asset of any successful business is the human talent that executes day to day operations. Remove the individual team members, and you invalidate the role of leader or manager. Leadership becomes a title with no purpose or usefulness. The effort and labor of the employee – their output – correlates with increases in revenue. Highly qualified and trained … [Read more...]
How Leadership Misses the Mark
Today I had an occasion to really explore something about myself that I already knew. I knew it, but I didn’t know what to do about it. You see I am nothing if not up front about what I like and don’t like, but I often skip conversations that are not productive. The end result is that the irritation builds and then you have a blow up. I learned that this is really passive … [Read more...]
Your Business, Your Leadership
The past week has given me the opportunity to observe the management style of a district manager for a fairly well known retailer. As I have had the horror of observing this individual, I’ve noticed that there are some things that entrepreneurs can learn from this horror movie. The staff mistakes are your mistakes What I have observed is this DM ruthlessly pointing out every … [Read more...]
That Grand Lady at the Harbor
Ladies, let’s continue to celebrate our freedom by underlining the importance of The Statue of Liberty and the role of women in our society. In her poem about the statue, Emma Lazarus called it “The New Colossus”. The beginning of the poem refers to the Colossus of Rhodes which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was a statue of the Greek God Helios, who, in … [Read more...]
Leadership and Feminism
In our recent GUTSY WOMEN LEADERS retreat I showed a video of Isabel Allende when she was a presenter at a TED conference. She is one of my favorite authors; her novels are filled with the depth of what life is all about; love, sorrow, misunderstandings, and the courage to change. She mentions a conversation she had with her daughter who stated emphatically that feminism is … [Read more...]
Super Women Leaders: GUTSY or NUTTY?
She got on the elevator in her full length mink coat. She had a Gucci scarf around her neck. Almost six feet tall and model skinny she looked ready to pose for Vogue. She smiled at the other tenants of this posh New York condo, all ready to brave the streets of Manhattan. They returned her smile. No one said anything yet wondering why she was wearing a fur coat in the heat … [Read more...]
Leadership Leaps: Into the Unknown
I saw this quote and could not find anyone but “anonymous” to give it credit. It sounds like it really must be from a woman’s lips. “To get what we’ve never had, we must do what we’ve never done”. The quote seems so fitting as we watch a planet in crisis. Can you remember back to March 20, 2003? We had just entered the war in Iraq, that time of shock and awe. We always seem … [Read more...]
Can Leaders Take a Break?
Do we have to go off to an island with limited access to the internet to get some quiet? Is it ever okay to put a “do not disturb” sign on the office door? Can we ever admit we are fried, exhausted, done, and not be judged as lacking in mojo, courage, stamina? These were some of the thoughts I had after spending a remarkable day presenting at Purdue University in Indiana. … [Read more...]