When Hard Seasons Change Us
Post-Traumatic Growth at Work For years I’ve been intrigued by how differently people respond when they face a difficult upheaval. In 1996, reporting on the aftermath of the war in Bosnia, I met a woman and her daughter who had lived through this harrowing conflict. They invited me and a team of reporters into their […]
Design your own HIIT strategy
When I first started PT for my Achilles tear, I assumed the big gains would come during my appointments. I quickly learned something I didn’t expect. The difference‑maker wasn’t the actual sessions; it was the micro‑workouts I committed to between them. For the past 12 weeks, I’ve been sharing HIIT protocols for leaders based on […]
You’ve been avoiding that tough conversation
Story: Putting it off How do you begin your day and stay focused? Maybe you follow a routine, blocking time for reflection, exercise, school drop-offs, finishing projects, and meeting with your team. But somewhere in the corner of your mind is that one thing you meant to tackle on Monday. And here it is, Thursday. […]
Inspiring critical thinking
When leaders shift from fixing to coaching their team Story: Let someone do their job Age doesn’t matter when you find yourself doing someone else’s work. I discovered this week that my kindergarten-age grandson knows how to use tally marks. He was counting things in our house: windows, steps, doors, the paws on our dogs. […]
Create intentional space between meetings
Taking a moment to breathe and refocus improves how you show up. Story: Racing from call to call I’m pretty sure you’ve been there. You look ahead to your day, and your calendar is filled with back-to-back meetings. You realize there’s little, if any, time to clear your head before you dive into another meeting […]
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, […]
The impact of people pleasing on your leadership
The Coach’s Corner Newsletter #110 The best leaders I work with use a mix of management styles to lead their teams. Author and psychologist, Daniel Goleman, has established six styles of leadership based on different aspects of emotional intelligence, as captured here on Personio. 1. Coercive Leadership 2. Authoritative Leadership 3. Affiliative Leadership 4. Democratic […]