HR Professionals

Thursday evening we had a multi-family picnic in an NYC playground under beautiful skies. One friend shared that when she was a girl, her extended family had Sunday dinner at her grandparents’ every week. I asked her if her family still does this today. The expected, and given, answer was “No.”   My friend’s story […]

Last week I led a workshop for 35 middle managers at a Fortune 100 multi-national. It was a high-achieving, hard-working group. As I shared my belief that today’s leaner companies make it difficult for senior managers to have the time to mentor their direct reports, and that job fluidity means we don’t spend more than […]

One of the things I love about my sales and marketing background, and one of the reasons I haven’t signed up to work for a coaching agency that does the sales and marketing for me, is that selling and marketing yourself is key to a successful career and being focused on results is key to […]

I recently asked VP/C-suite level managers about their challenges, hopes and ambitions regarding their teams. What impressed me more than specific answers was the passion, and frustration, they felt around what is possible, and the gap between that and where they are.   They want team members who are: Motivated Trust one another and collaborate […]

More than once in my professional life, I’ve made a big change. Those were usually scary “moments” that were months, even years, in the making. Going for something big takes courage, and it takes support. This Wednesday I will be joining my friend and colleague, Rick Tamlyn, for his Jump Start Your Bigger Game event in New York and would […]

In my work with hundreds of professionals, I have come to a conclusion: People want a sense of control at work. It’s the Autonomy piece that Daniel Pink refers to in his famous TED talk. Stephen Covey called it Interdependence. A professional who takes charge of his or her own leadership and is in a […]

When I meet with HR partners and talk about advocating for the employee, I can see them start to squirm or giggle nervously. It makes sense. Companies are uncomfortable paying for training that will give employees the tools to make demands or even leave the organization. The thing is that while this belief feels right […]

Last week a client shared that she is really good at dealing with “challenging” leaders, the Steve Jobs sort who are change agents but are often abrasive or polarizing. A strong people person who is also forward thinking, this client is good at shaping a vision around the change, and excellent at selling the abrasive […]

  This week a client shared that after several months of job search, she is engaged in powerful conversations with multiple potential employers. Her confidence is soaring and she is seeing how much she really has to offer. That, in turn, is making her discuss much bigger solutions and negotiate more interesting job roles. The […]

Every year I see people, and work teams, do their annual review by looking at all of the goals they didn’t accomplish in the year and dragging those into the new year. It feels so heavy! What if instead, year end could feel like, “Wheeeee!” I have an annual review that rocks. It makes the […]