At a cosmetics industry event in June, I asked a senior executive about her major challenges. Her reply was almost immediate, “It’s hard to always be the cheerleader!” Who among us has never been frustrated by a lack of ability to motivate or influence direct reports, customers, or members of other departments. As a boss …
June is half-way through the year. It’s a nice time to think about measuring progress, especially if you’d like to enjoy some breathing room over the summer. And because I love metaphors, I am going to share with you a mega one, a Franken-metaphor, it’s a combination of several that I have collected over the …
Over the last several months my practice has expanded to include corporate clients in addition to individuals. Admittedly, I have dragged my feet as I struggled to find the right voice. After all, how can you advocate for the individual and the organization at the same time? Actually, I have always felt that self-aware individuals …
About 12 years ago, I went to see a nutritionist. I had recently gotten a new job where I had to “wine and dine” clients. The 5-10 pounds I had lived with were becoming 15-20. Read: “OK, just one more dessert…” What I learned from the nutritionist was simple, yet profound. My overeating was not …
Last week I went with my kids to see “Flight of the Butterflies” at the Natural History Museum. The movie tells the story of the Monarch Butterflies’ annual migration from the northern US and Canada to a very specific place in Mexico. Amazing. It got me thinking about nature’s power, its potential…and its limitations. Also …
There is so much talk these days about the importance of mentorship. It seems like people feel that their career can’t be successful without one. I sometimes get the image of a Carol Burnett character hunched over in a dark, dusty, back office saying, “If only I’d had a mentor…” It’s true. There are times …
Last night I watched Chariots of Fire again. It’s the story of the team of British runners who swept the 1924 Olympics, and centers on two men, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell. While both win gold medals, the camera focuses twice on Harold Abrahams watching Eric Liddell run. Though Abrahams runs with immense determination, he …
Naughty or Nice? This Fall I conducted over 30 360° assessment debriefs with business school students in New York City. These are sessions where together we review their leadership styles and talk about feedback they’ve gotten from colleagues. It is fascinating. Despite being proven leaders who are attending a top business school, they almost universally …
If you’ve ever found youself saying, “If I only had X, I’d be happy, successful, rich…”, you are not alone. Related to this, many of us tend to have a vision of someone who does just what we do, but is loved by everyone, has a devoted mentor, is efficient and effective, and never has …
In last Saturday’s job section of the New York Times, there was an article called, “Follow a Career Passion? Let it Follow You,” in which the author, Cal Newport, rebuffs what he calls the “Cult of Passion,” saying that we find our passion by doing a job, not the other way around. It may surprise you …
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