Last month Morgan Stanley invited me to share my thoughts on how to increase your effectiveness by finding balance. What?? Aren’t effectiveness and balance in constant tension? Well, I’d say not. This talk was called, “How to Make the Next 10 Years Your Best 10 Years.” And from the buzz in the room, I’d say […]

Last month I got to deliver a three day public speaking course with my friend and colleagues hashtag#JoannBaney and hashtag#ScottGardner. The course participants sweated, their hearts raced, their hands trembled. We didn’t see any of that. What we did see was their courage, their relief and the fun they had together. I’ve worked with Joann and […]

  Last week I turned my book over to the editor. 12 weeks to book launch! It’s exciting. It’s rewarding. I have a huge smile on my face. It’s also pushed me right up against the Upper Limit Problem, an idea from Gay Hendricks. I knew it was coming. Still, the 24 hours after I […]

Be authentic. But fake it till you make it. Be vulnerable. And show executive presence. Focus on self-care. But there is no “I” in team. It’s enough to make your head spin. What I’ve learned from growing a business is that, if you pivot for every new and shiny strategy, you won’t get where you […]

  For my work, I am often asked to introduce myself in conversation. Before the intro, I almost always say, “I can tell you about myself in about 20 different ways. What would be most relevant?” or “What do you most want to know?” The goal is to avoid going on and on as I […]

    Going through the college application process with my daughter, it’s easy to get sucked into thinking, “When she gets into the right college, everything will be great.” It’s what Shrizad Chamine refers to as the Saboteur criticizing circumstances. It reminds me of how much my clients, ambitious professionals (You!), postpone gratification to reach […]

  Looking through my eclipse glasses and seeing the beginnings of the moon block the sun was breathtaking. So I went to one of the benches in the median on Broadway near my home. And waited. I was waiting for Totality, the moment when the moon would completely cover the sun. The day would get […]

  A friend in Tech recently shared the idea of Tech Debt. Basically, tech companies have to invest in infrastructure that works — for now. Different than traditional obsolescence, this infrastructure will actually require investment to undo down the road. We played with applying the concept to the work I do. Basically, the Leadership approach […]

  The other day, a client told me, “I have trust issues” as a way to explain why he micro-manages his team. From his perspective, he couldn’t trust his direct reports, because other important people in his life had let him down. As we spoke, it became clear that the micro-managing behavior was linked to […]

  Last week I got to attend a small breakfast with one of my heroes, Carla Harris. I first heard Carla speak in the middle of the financial crisis, and have been a super fan ever since. I remember her saying that in times of crisis, it was human instinct to lay low and just […]