Insights

Ramping Up There’s a feeling in the air that I love towards the end of August. The city has more people again, and there is a palpable anticipation. It makes me want to run to the stationery store and load up on notebooks and bubble gum smelling Hello Kitty erasers, and cut and fold paper […]

I just ended a four-week grand jury duty. Yes, every afternoon for four weeks. It was a challenge to say the least. But what I love about jury duty is the sitting around waiting, and talking and connecting to New Yorkers you don’t get to talk to every day. It’s the best. It opens up […]

During my Career Confidence course this summer, one participant said that what she liked most was having clear and concise steps to follow —  to figure out the kind of job she wants, how to talk about herself to the people who can help her get promoted or a new job lead, and what to say to […]

Four Secrets to Getting Your Employees to Take Initiative…So You Can Get Your Work Done Since 2009, I’ve worked on a team training thousands of mid-career professionals in public speaking.  Each year we hear comments like, “I’m an introvert, so I don’t think I’ll ever be a strong speaker,” and “I’d love to have charisma […]

What Getting Fired Taught me About Work Just after my 30th birthday, I got fired from my job. I still remember the room spinning when I got the news. It wasn’t something I ever expected to happen, and yet it was an enormous gift. Here’s what I learned: The company is not your parents. I guess […]

Summer Self-Care This summer things haven’t slowed down. I’m happy about it, but I can smell the suntan lotion and hear the seagulls, taste a cool cocktail as the sun gets low in the sky. Being busy is more draining when you feel the pull of summer. In the first few years of my business, […]

Executive Presence Gone Wrong Last week I reported to Grand Jury duty. Towards the of the selection process, the jury warden asked people to make a line if they 1) Had a “must serve” on their summons, for having postponed too many times and 2) Could still not serve. He repeated the instructions several times. […]

                Beginning July 8th I am offering my Career Confidence course in a condensed, 4-week summer class to give you an easy, doable way to get started.  You can get rid of that gnawing procrastination feeling, relax, and enjoy your summer. If you’ve wanted to work with me and you know […]

Recently I did some 360 interviews for a client named Heather. She was experiencing high turnover in her team and knew she was too harsh and demanding. What I discovered in the interviews is that her team loved her! They consistently said things like, “Oh yeah. When we are at off-sites and Heather is relaxed, she […]

Again and again, managers tell me that they want their teams to work more independently. They want to stop herding cats and micro-managing. They want to actually leave at 5:00!  Or reasonably close to it. We all know when members are enthusiastic, take initiative and get it done…and when they don’t. They drag their feet. […]