Failure’s secret ingredient

Failure’s secret ingredient

Maya is a superstar. Smart and hard-working, she’s never met a challenge she couldn’t overcome. Over time, she’s developed not only a can-do attitude; she’s pretty sure she can handle anything the organization throws at her. Confidence borne...
Distracted much?

Distracted much?

If you’ve seen the movie “Up,” you’ll understand why I joked with a coachee (I’ll call him Bob) recently about being distracted by squirrels. Like many leaders, Bob looks around the organization and sees many opportunities and problems...
Meetings: Fun or fluff?

Meetings: Fun or fluff?

I’ve been facilitating quite a few meetings lately. One of my challenges has always been how much time to allot for just general chit chat, banter or catching up. I think it’s important to invest in building relationships with the people on my team. On the...
Stay open

Stay open

I’ve parented teens, so I think I should be better at handling off-the-wall remarks. Unfortunately, I am too often caught off guard when I hear something that strikes me as provocative, irritating or just plain “wrong.” I heard a great suggestion...
Make curiosity your default setting

Make curiosity your default setting

One of the most frustrating things about my journey as a leader is realizing that I’m not as open-minded as I’d like to be. Though I’d like to claim that I’m more curious than certain, I get a rude awakening when my know-it-all self emerges....