Flexibility Isn’t Just for Gymnasts

For the past month I’ve been working on a full-day training for a client. I really want it to be fantastic, but it has been challenging. There is no one to blame; the client has had several unexpected situations that required us to make changes more than once. Do you know what that is like?

9 Ways to Describe a Bad Boss

In the 25+ years that I’ve been teaching leaders how to be better leaders, I’ve heard a lot of colorful words used to describe bad bosses. Here is an interesting list of them with definitions from various dictionaries-- Dictator – uses authority in an unjust way Unsupportive – does not care enough to help Micromanager

I Dare You to Mess Up

If you are perfect, stop reading. There is nothing here for you. On second thought, this article is probably more for you than it is for anyone else. Keep reading if you: avoid risk are afraid to fail get annoyed when people screw up have difficulty owning up to your mistakes hold yourself to high

The Cold Hard Truth Can Hurt … or Not

Sometimes we need people to tell us the truth, even if it hurts. Recently, while practicing what I preach (challenge yourself to be better at what you do and to be a better human), I asked someone to give me some real, nitty gritty, raw feedback. She did. Was I scared? Sure, I was. What

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

One of my favorite ways to do introductions in my workshops is to ask people to share a fascinating fact about themselves. Too often I hear, “There isn’t anything fascinating about me.” They’re lying. The same goes for you. If you tell people there is nothing fascinating about yourself, you are lying, and you aren’t

The Workplace Meany

It’s really hard to be kind ALL of the time, and when you're not, are you being human or are you being a workplace meany? I’ve struggled with this myself. I felt regret when I vented about coworker to another coworker. I questioned if I should have managed a meeting when I wasn’t the one

Leaders Who Laugh

Leaders who laugh won’t be taken seriously. Leaders who laugh are unprofessional. Leaders who laugh aren’t good leaders. These are all misnomers. It’s actually the opposite. Leaders who laugh are relatable. Leaders who laugh humanize themselves. Leaders who laugh are leaders people want to work for. Stanford’s Graduate School of Business lecturers and workplace humor

Let the Coach Speak Louder than the Critic

Criticism creates anxiety. Coaching creates autonomy. Criticism creates fear. Coaching creates courage. Criticism creates robots. Coaching creates critical thinkers. Criticism creates mediocre performers. Coaching creates high performers. When leaders have metrics to meet, deadlines to hit, and bosses to answer to, the pressure can be too much. Sometimes that pressure comes out sideways, shifting their

This is Why I Did It

The first thing people say when they find out I wrote a book is, “Wow. That must have been a lot of work. I could never do it.” They’re right. It was. It took two years. (And they’re wrong. Anyone can do it if they have enough drive.) This is why I did it. I’ve

What’s up With People Who Repel Their Coworkers?

In my career I’ve worked with people I didn’t like working with. People I didn’t want to be alone with, not because they were creepy (well, there might have been a couple of creeps), but because they were energy sucks. And there have been a couple bosses that made me dread waking up in the