Last Thursday as I was walking down 66th street, I saw an old and dear friend walking down the block toward me. We were both on cell phones. We saw each other, hesitated as if we might stop, then gave each other a wave and look that said, “Can’t talk…let’s catch up later.” When I …
This time of year, I find myself in a push-pull dynamic. The expectation of the new year is pushing me forward, but the intense activity of the three months since “back-to-school” is pulling me towards being passive. What can we do to put things in motion so that the New Year can ease in gently? …
I loved coming across this article titled, “Centered Leadership: How Talented Women Thrive” in the McKinsey Quarterly. The article presents a model for leadership that is specially designed with women in mind, and it reminded me of a story in my own life. Years ago when I was in the market for a road bike, …
Thomas Friedman wrote a article this Sunday called, “How About Better Parents?” In it he says that too many parents demand better teachers, when in fact the biggest difference in children’s school performance comes from parent involvement. Reading the article, it occurred to how much we look to others to take care of so many …
Have you ever worked really hard at something, only to suddenly feel really disconnected from it? Or, like you suddenly don’t know anything about anything? Let me introduce you to the Four Stages of Competence, a concept widely used in coaching. The idea is that we begin from unconscious incompetence, or we don’t know what …
This weekend I had a girls’ weekend with two of my best friends. In the last six years, we have each gone our own way; they have left New York for smaller cities, one is staying home full time to raise her kids, two of us are working moms. Our two days together had a …
I loved this NYT Blog by Sandra Lee. In particular the line, “This ‘needs to not be about being put down or at a disadvantage, because you’re not,” she told the audience. “The women are at an advantage — we represent the buying power in this country.’ ” Wow! There is something going on out …
For the last three years I have been a coach for high-achieving women in mid-career. Before that I managed my own career in a very female intensive industry — luxury cosmetics and fragrance marketing. More recently I have had occasion to talk to women’s groups about the challenges of managing their own careers. What I …
This weekend I saw The Barber of Seville at the Met. It was fantastic! I loved it! And as I was reading about Rossini’s operas, I also realized that I love comic operas, not tragedies. In the Barber of Seville, there is a moment where Rosina doubts the intention of her beloved, Count Almaviva, and …
One of the things I see consistently in my new clients is that we, women, don’t know the value of our contribution. We take our impact at the office for granted and don’t know how to articulate it, let alone get the proper compensation and acknowledgement for it. It is so heartbreaking to see women …
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