Nearly everyone has had the experience of working for a micro-manager. Micro-management can range from asking for very detailed weekly status reports to reviewing and editing all outgoing emails. If you work for a micro-manager, it can look like your boss is the cause of your frustration and anger. Thank goodness that’s not true. A […]
Sometimes my coaching clients have an insight that debunks what they previously thought was true. My client, Jack, for example had a bit of an awakening about how to motivate and inspire his team and influence his functional colleagues. As a technical director in a medical device company, Jack led a team of engineers and […]
Have you ever rehearsed a conversation that hasn’t even happened yet? I have. It’s funny how we torment ourselves with possible future scenarios, isn’t it? Here’s a recent example from my own life. One morning an e-mail popped up from an HR business partner client, Jane. I’m involved in a particularly challenging coaching engagement with […]
If you met my coaching client, Parker, you’d probably wonder why he even needs a coach at all. An MIT PhD biochemist, Parker did his post doc work in a lab run by the founder of his current company. They do exciting work trying to find a cure for cancer. With his big genuine smile […]
When I was 16, my Dad bought me a car. Not just any car, a red 1966 Chevy Impala SS ragtop with a 425HP V8 engine. A fierce American muscle car with a manual transmission and heavy duty clutch. Sounds awesome, right? Not so much. As a new driver, I was grappling with understanding hand signals and […]
Once again, I’m motivated to write a post based on recent coaching conversations. This time, the topic is holding people accountable. A quick internet search found many references to two actions so common-sense it’s hard to believe that it takes someone from The Center for Creative Leadership or The Harvard Business Review to spell them […]
In my coaching practice, I’m often asked to help leaders develop executive presence or gravitas. Here’s how I reflect on what to do: Executive presence…. Hmmm, what’s thought got to do with it? (I hear the Tina Turner melody in my head.) Of course, it’s always about the role and nature of thought, but I […]
Although you vowed that this year would be different and charged into 2016 with the best of intentions to take control of your life, you’re right back where you were before the holidays. Overwhelmed. Overworked. Overscheduled. Most days you dread going to work because you just don’t see yourself making any progress. If one more […]
Why is it that the work and relationships that plagued you all week look so different on Friday afternoon? The issues and challenges haven’t changed, but somehow you don’t get so riled up about it on Friday. You’re in a great mood, looking forward to a weekend with your family, maybe doing some […]
This topic comes up frequently in my coaching sessions – clients are frustrated when their peers and direct reports don’t take their advice. Conversations go like this: I tell her all the time that she has to say “no” more often. I’ll support her decisions – but she still overcommits and then disappoints. He’s got […]