HR Professionals

Last week a client told me that she knows that her ambition came from parents who loved her, but also asked a lot. It felt like conditional love. She had to win, and while that’s made her very successful for 15 years, it’s also led to burnout. She hasn’t felt motivated in a while. “Great […]

Yesterday my friend Valerie sent me a video that blew my mind — it completely explained the last year and a half.It turns out that while optimism is a powerful force for well-being, there’s something equally powerful that we overlook: Flow, closely related to joy.In this video, Adam Grant, famous for making “languishing” a household […]

There’s a feeling in the air right now and I see it everywhere — with clients, my friends, even on the news.  People are desperate to pursue their post-Covid bliss, but are in a lingering funk.What makes it worse is that people try to escape the funk by forcing themselves through it, which is the least effective […]

One of the absolute biggest mistakes leaders make is that they think they’re supposed to be good at everything.A client in a small business has a boss, the owner, who only delegates the smallest details. So the team is in chaos and is disengaged.He acts out, sharing his frustration with vendors and clients on the […]

Feeling like your team is steering a large ship through molasses?You aren’t the only one.In my online classes, participants are at an all-time peak of having their cameras turned off — they’re exhausted.And I’m hearing a funny sort of reluctant whining from clients.It’s as if they feel guilty about their exhaustion.That is the inner critic. […]

Hybrid work strategies that will support teams in six months aren’t right for this moment.Let me explain. A lot of my clients are scrambling to crack the code on hybrid teams. They’re reviewing communication platforms, agreeing to rules of engagement for meetings, deciding which work to do in-person and at home… and they’re looking at the […]

Last week I got some game-changing inspiration from the HBR IdeaCast with Paul Polman. In 10 years he took Unilever from declining revenues and market share to exponential growth.How did he do it? By putting purpose at the center of everything.  From vision to shareholder relations, to H.R. policies to sourcing, Polman tapped into the human propensity […]

Last week we started the Leadership and Career Clarity program for 45 mid-senior managers of a Fortune 500 company. When asked what they hope to gain from the program they said, “I know I’m capable of more,” and “I want to be a better leader,” and “I want to develop more confidence with my boss and my […]

My family apartment move. Week 3. It’s been a fascinating study in the impact of change on a system. This week the new neighborhood still feels foreign, and the lack of routine and familiarity is wearing thin. My To Do list is shattered into a million tiny pieces that don’t seem to move towards resolution. […]

If you read last week’s newsletter, you know that my family just moved.    And I can say that the struggle is real.   There are the big things, like leaving our community (two miles is a lot in New York City).  And there are good things, like a cornucopia of restaurants to discover. Even though […]