One of my clients is struggling with a pretty dysfunctional leadership team. It’s a small team, but they have all the classic characters: My client and I have been working through some different approaches, and this week we talked about one of my favorites: a shared learning experience. Sometimes, when Read more
Last week I was working with a client who is a transitioning teacher. We are in the “Focus” stage of our work together, during which I work with clients to develop a clear vision of what they are looking for and to get focused on what matters most. We’ve talked Read more
Last week I was discussing the importance of integrity. A colleague asked me what integrity meant to me. (Don’t you hate it when people don’t just let you throw out a fancy word and move on? 😔 😂 ) I shared that, to me, acting with integrity means Then she Read more
One of the issues with success is that we sometimes end up in places and suddenly think, “Wait. How did I get here? Who am I to be sitting at this table? Do I really deserve this?” Imposter syndrome is real and it can be debilitating. It keeps us from Read more
I have been reflecting a lot on my management experiences over the years as I work with new managers through my online courses and 1:1 coaching. My first formal management role came when I was just 8 years into my work experience, and I had been a teacher for the Read more
Wait, what? Doesn’t everyone want employees who will go “above and beyond”? I don’t. Every once in a while, sure. But a lack of boundaries at work is a fast track to burnout. Without clear boundaries, your mental and physical health suffers, and your risk of being taken advantage of Read more
I recall a time during my nonprofit leadership experience during which I was wildly irritated every time someone complained about “lack of transparency.” Defensiveness would kick in and I’d immediately have thoughts along these lines: Now, all of these things might be true, AND… I have an evolving hypothesis. I Read more
Healthy organizations will spend time developing a core set of values that drive the way they work as an organization. It is important to have clarity on values because it provides an anchor for providing feedback when someone has fallen short of the agreed upon expectations. But are work values Read more
Earlier this year, I wrote something for the blog that struck a nerve with lots of people. What was the post? Five Signs Your Boss Might be Making You Sick. Turns out there are a lot of toxic bosses out there. I didn’t get a lot of public engagement with Read more
Picture this: The leadership team of a small nonprofit organization is at its annual retreat. The makeup of the leadership team is mostly white, mostly women. These are the senior-most leaders from the organization; all of the people in the room have at least 20 years of professional experience. This Read more