What’s the real issue?
Find the ‘thing under the thing’ before your next hard conversation Your boss gives you feedback you feel is unwarranted. Turns out he wanted more communication. Here’s how to turn around a misunderstanding by naming what’s really at the core of the conflict. In Leadership Core, I’m tackling everyday leadership challenges with HIIT‑style intervals: short, […]
Taking the Sting out of Feedback
Giving feedback isn’t scary because of the words. It’s scary because we’re afraid of damaging a relationship. Here’s the 5‑step script I use with the leaders I coach to take the sting out of tough feedback. Save this for your next difficult 1:1. In Leadership Core, I’m tackling everyday leadership challenges with HIIT‑style intervals: short, […]
Listen for the Whole Story
Story: It’s not about you every time Are you listening to hear what someone has to share, or using every chance to play a kind of charades with your team? I’m thinking of the “sounds like” move: a team member shares something that sounds like work you’ve done, are doing, or want to do, and […]
Start Meetings with a Question
In Leadership Core, I’m tackling everyday leadership challenges with HIIT‑style intervals: short, focused practices you can run between meetings to strengthen how you lead. Story: Invite people into the conversation You head into a meeting totally prepared. You’ve got updates to share and next steps that will really streamline the work your team has been […]
Coming Back
Story: Breakthrough. For the past four months I’ve been quieter than I planned. A ruptured Achilles and weeks of PT forced me to slow down and pay more attention than ever to my physical core. With direction from a strong physical therapist and exercises that carried me between sessions, I’ve learned some valuable insights about growth, […]
A fresh way to solve problems…and finally step out of the weeds
What if you could take any tough topic, find insight to shift your thinking, and build a simple plan for resolving the complication? Many executive clients come to me wanting to work through issues in real time. Over the years, I’ve developed a laser-coaching approach that gets to the core—often in just 30 minutes. […]
3 unexpected lessons from my Achilles rupture
As an executive coach to leaders across the spectrum, I offer tools and resources on just about any issue. But who knew how soon I’d have to lean into some of those very tools myself. It was supposed to be a relaxing few days to explore Coeur d’Alene, Idaho with our son and his […]
Want a better handle on conflict? Try this
In my work coaching executive leaders for the past decade, I’ve learned that arriving at a solution too quickly doesn’t break through an impasse. In fact, that’s when things break down. Want to hear about the best strategy? Here’s how I watched this in action. One of my Fortune 100 clients shared how a project […]
When change is essential: how to take steps that stick
The Coach’s Corner Newsletter #112 Ever wonder if there’s any chance you can truly change things in your professional or personal life? I’m here to vouch for you – because there’s a good chance you’re making small changes every day. Deciding to cover for a team member when you’d rather be home, going to bed […]
When grief is overwhelming: how do you cope?
The Coach’s Corner Newsletter #111 There is sorrow and numbness and grief permeating every eye-witness account of horror, devastation and loss from last week’s catastrophic flash flooding along the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country of Texas. At this writing, the swift moving waters have claimed the lives of at least 120 people…one third of […]