This week a client told me, “Sometimes I’m nice to my team, not because I want to, but because I know they’ll be more productive.  It feels manipulative,” she added with a coy smile. And then I said, “Here’s a secret. From that perspective, leadership IS manipulative. And that’s OK!” We hear a lot about […]

A while back I was coaching a team that was not listening to each other. The boss kept saying, “Things are great! We have a tough spell week before last, but the team rallied and we’re good!” The team’s deadpan faces didn’t look that good. I could see them IM’ing each other and chuckling, doing their […]

What comes after the Great Resignation? Onboarding all the new hires.   According to “The First 90 Days,” a disturbing proportion of new hires don’t make it. That means that every person you lose could take more than one replacement before you find a fit. Recently a client, whose team is covering extra work because […]

Last week my friend Karen Sachs and I had a trunk show to present her new line of handbags. We had a pretty small turnout, so I should have been disappointed. But somehow I didn’t feel that way. Why? This article on behavioral activation might explain it. Sometimes just doing something, especially in the direction of what you […]

Last week my friend Karen Sachs and I had a trunk show to present her new line of handbags. We had a pretty small turnout, so I should have been disappointed. But somehow I didn’t feel that way. Why? This article on behavioral activation might explain it. Sometimes just doing something, especially in the direction of what you […]

We’re strung out. Restless + Burnt Out = Strung Out. I’m seeing it everywhere. With my clients, in conversation with my colleagues. There’s a desperate feeling that people so want to move on, but the energy to do it isn’t quite there. Thing is, if you keep pushing, which is what the forces around you […]

Last Saturday my husband and I ventured out into 11 degree cold to attend an event that turned out to be canceled. Leaving the venue, my husband paused on the sidewalk to track down the email that confirmed the cancelation (it was in junk mail). As I stood shivering, I half noticed a classic sad […]

After weeks of hearing variations on burnout, last week saw a wave of green blossoms on the tree branch — pent up positive, productive energy that wants to find an outlet. I’m calling it progress, or hope, on Bambi legs. We’re ready to move ahead. So ready, we’re practically bursting. So how do you harness […]

Last week I caught up with a client I worked with last year. She’s doing great. She’s had a huge shift in energy that was a joy to see. She had hired me because she wanted to up-level her leadership skills. She’s a star performer who’d enjoyed multiple promotions and once created her own job […]

Last week I got the usual slew of “New Year, New Career!” calls.  But this year there’s a common denominator: Severe burnout. Here’s what it sounds like: “A lot of people have been really affected by Covid, but I’ve had it a lot easier than a lot of people. I just don’t understand why I […]