If you've hired your spouse, I hope that it's working for you. It didn’t work for me. I discovered things about both of us that I wish I had considered (or known) beforehand. I'm not saying that hiring family doesn’t work. It can and does. In fact, I have two members of my family who work for me now. However, the process of hiring them, the on-boarding process, and the review … [Read more...]
The Crisis of Managing Generation Z
A good friend asked me recently, “What’s the single most debilitating thing facing the generation entering the workforce?” My fast answer: critical thinking. With managing emotions a close second. I’m not a generations researcher by career focus. I wound up studying this in response to a growing number of befuddled clients – and apparently most CEOs in Davos last month, asking … [Read more...]
How to Keep Your Team from Melting Down During the Holiday Season
It's that time of year again! The holidays are upon us and, for many businesses, that means an increase in workload and stress levels. How can you keep your team from melting down during this busy season? Here are a few tips: 1. Identify Goals and Prioritize Identify goals that must be met and determine priorities that must be handled now vs. what can wait until the holiday … [Read more...]
How to Master the Art of Communicating for Business and Career Success
You want to be a great communicator in business. We all do, but communication is one of those skills that takes practice – a lot of practice. The good news is you can learn to be a great communicator if you’re willing to put in the effort. First, you need to understand what good communication looks like in the workplace, and then, you have to learn how to master the art of … [Read more...]
Should You Bring Your “Whole Self” to Work?
It's no shock that the past two plus years has shaken both employee and employer paradigms of work. Since 2020, an emphasis on DEI (or DEIJ, or DEIB) - whatever your acronym - has put more awareness on the part of the powers that be that they need to make some pretty drastic changes to the workplace. The shift towards distributed work, focus on mental health and wellness, … [Read more...]
Why Your Feedback May Not Be Getting Results: 5 Antidotes to Bad Feedback
When you hear the word “feedback” what comes up for you? Do you welcome it or cringe and run for the hills? My guess is most of us are at the latter edge of the spectrum. Why? Because most of us have been the receiver of unhelpful feedback at best or feedback that damaged relationships at worst. If you’re in a position where you give feedback (and really this should happen … [Read more...]
You Don’t Owe Anyone Anything. We Owe Ourselves Everything.
You may feel a bit ruffled by the title of this post. But wait?! Isn’t that selfish and egotistical? Before your thoughts go there, think about this: how often have you said yes when you really wanted to say no? How many times have you sacrificed something you wanted, or didn’t know what you wanted, because you were so focused on pleasing someone else? How much does getting … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Turn Professional Wounds into Power: Why Being Your Own Leader Can Be Healing
Have you been stuck in the same position at a job without opportunities to develop into a role that supports your growth as a leader? Perhaps you were promised an interim review that never came to fruition, or doors continually failed to open despite advocating for a role that excites you. Many of us have been there, and for those of us with an entrepreneurial flair, that … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Improve Your Leadership Through Listening
Excellent listening skills are not always the first thing we think of when looking at a list of desirable personal traits. Many of us probably believe that we are great listeners already. We assume that we are listening because we give non-verbal cues and smile and nod and say "mhmm" while someone is speaking. However, these gestures are only a tiny part of authentic listening … [Read more...]
Lessons Learned from the Former CEO of Pepsico – Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi, former CEO and Chairman of Pepsi, is an iconic role model and trailblazer. As the first woman of color and immigrant who rose to become the CEO of a Fortune 50 company, her success is extra-ordinary. I enjoyed every chapter and page in her book, ”My Life in Full, Work, Family and Our Future,” narrated in her distinctive voice. I also attended a virtual fireside … [Read more...]