For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. – William Shakespeare, Hamlet Shoulds. We have all fallen victim to the power of “shoulds.” We say it all the time. “I should eat better.” “I should work out more.” “I should be saving more money.” “I should be spending time…
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Running Across the 2018 Finish Line
Ahh, December, the final month of the year that calls us to hurry up and finish strong, while at the same time, it beckons us to slow down and savor the season. This time of year brings a lot of competing commitments that can become a source of inspiration or a source of stress. The…
How To Navigate Important Conversations
In a recent coaching session, my client said she was dreading having a difficult conversation. She needed to sit down with a colleague, whom she regards as a friend, and confront her about a series of things that have happened on the project they are working on. We affirmed that recognizing the need for the…
Emotional Agility
“Our feelings are not there to be cast out or conquered. They’re there to be engaged and expressed with imagination and intelligence.” — T.K. Coleman “My problem is that I’m too emotional.” My client sat slumped in her chair. Everything about her drooped, from her expression to her shoulders and likely to her toes, if…
Developing a Leadership Practice
Effective leaders need to be self-aware – they need to understand their strengths and weaknesses, their possible blind spots, and the style of leadership to which they gravitate. – Dr. Larry Richard I have been thinking about what it means to have a practice of something. Specifically, what it takes to have a practice and…
Fundamentals of Building Trust
“The way to make people trust-worthy is to trust them.” – Ernest Hemingway “I need to build trust. Fast.” These are the words I heard from an earnest executive I worked with this week. She’s in a new business ecosystem which is undergoing immense change. She has an important role and wants to develop trust…
Your Focus Is Your Choice
“The ability to choose cannot be taken away or even given away – it can only be forgotten.” Greg McKeown “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” This quote summarizes the advice from the Cheshire Cat to Alice, in Lewis Carroll’s beloved Alice in Wonderland. This quote is…
Listening – One of Our Greatest Communication Skills
Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force … When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand. Ideas actually begin to grow within us and come to life. – Brenda Ueland “There is something different in the way I’m able to talk to him,” said my client, a…
How to Get Out of Your Own Way: Four Necessary Questions
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” Rumi You decided to stop micro-managing and delegate more, and yet you find yourself with more work than ever. You decided to talk less and “share the air” more, and yet you consistently find yourself…
Staying Creative for Maximum Leadership Effectiveness
“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” – Stephen Covey Have you ever been reading an email and gotten triggered by what someone said, or even how they worded something, and then fallen into the reactivity trap? Me, too. In fact, even the most conscious and intentional…