“We’re not curing cancer.” It’s something I heard a lot working in the beauty business. “First world problems!” is another one you hear. Makes sense. Managers want to relativize situations that feel stressful or overwhelming. The trouble is that it also says, “Your problems aren’t important,” or “The work you do has no meaning,” […]
Last week I wrote about the importance of informational interviewing when you’re thinking about what’s next. Talk to people a couple of levels above you, but first, have a sense of what you are good at and what you want. But here’s where it gets interesting. Don’t limit sharing your message to the times that you’re […]
Right now I’m working with two senior executives strategizing their next move. And they’ve reminded me of the importance of informational interviewing. Here’s why. Too often people aren’t thorough when they think about what’s next. They limit themselves to what H.R. is proposing. Or to the jobs that are available on job boards. And often […]
Monday I got back from vacation and faced a concrete wall of overwhelm. But because this is not my first rodeo, I did what I’ve learned is the absolute best course of action. I scheduled lunch with a friend, followed by a massage. “I could never take a day off after vacation!” my lunch companion […]
My colleague and mentor, Joann, is a mater public speaking coach. The first thing students do in her class is to get up, in front of everyone, and give a 3-minute speech. And I love her explanation for this. “Think of skiing,” she says. “Someone can write out the explanation for how to ski […]
Last week I caught up with Theresa Spearing of Catskill Candle Company. Theresa and I worked together a few years ago. She’d been working in fragrance development at a major beauty brand and had a dream of launching a line of candles. Like for many, the pandemic set the wheels in motion. What struck me most […]
Last week I met with the board of an industry association who’ve asked me to deliver a talk on engaging their remote teams. Seems that people are attending meetings with cameras off. Also not responding in meetings because they’re actually on mute and taking a phone call (or in the bathroom, or at the grocery […]
A while back, several members of a team I was coaching had an issue with the same person. They told me about the person’s frustrating behavior, how it was stressing the team and how it was making them look bad to other departments. Sounded cringy. I could see how the situation was making them avoid […]
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 […]
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