Do You Know Who’s Cleaning Your Office?

On October 16, 2018

Do you know who processes your travel reimbursements, cleans your floors, empties your trash, guards the building? If these people are not directly interacting with you in your job, chances are you don’t. As we used to say in the Army, there’s the pointy tip of the spear…but it doesn’t fly alone. The pointy tip

Who’s on Your Team?

On August 7, 2018

“Teamwork makes the Dream Work” — John C. Maxwell How often do you try to ‘go it alone’? For many of us, we got to a position of responsibility by (at least looking like we…) have our act together. That we are the solution to all problems. Barbell squats was my painful reminder that my

It’s Not About You…It Really is About Me

On August 2, 2018

I am getting ready to plunk down a significant amount of money for a major purchase. I need to feel confident this is a good fit for me. Distractingly, the sales person I am working with spent more time spinning their own tale about the purchase than with how well the purchase fit me. This

Up, Down, and All Around—Trolley Cars and Leadership

On June 12, 2018

I’m in Lisbon for a month, feeling what it’s like to live in a neighborhood (Santos-o-Velho), explore new sights in a new culture, and continue my work. One big thing I’ve noticed about Lisbon is you must look up, down and sideways if you are really going to take in the beauty of the city…and

Chocolate Truffles, Onion Soup, And Leadership Lessons

On April 26, 2018

What I learned about leadership from a celebrated French restaurant. How does a traditional French restaurant weather the notoriously competitive and fickle restaurant industry to stay highly successful for over 50 years? And what can those lessons learned teach us about becoming successful leaders? L’Auberge Chez Francoise in Great Falls, VA has received scads of top

What Tennis Elbow And Leadership Have In Common

On August 8, 2017

I wasn’t playing tennis; I was swinging around big cargo ropes in Crossfit class. I lived with the annoying pain that centered on the outside of my elbow and radiated through my right arm for three months, hoping it would get better. My inability to do simple things like grasp the handle of a coffee

How Do We Move From ‘Performance’ To ‘Potential’?

On September 27, 2016

Over coffee with a friend with a mutual interest in creating environments that encourage diversity, she commented on an undercurrent she has observed at several tech industry groups she attends. Her perceptions matched what I have also experienced during my speaking and coaching discussions in various professional forums. Here’s what we’ve both observed — Women

A Bogey On Your Shoulder

On June 20, 2016

Here’s looking at you, Kid! You remember that line…the famous Humphrey Bogart send-off from the movie, Casablanca? What if we could each have a Bogey, giving us a ‘here’s looking at you’ heads up that something is about to bubble up for us? When a bad feeling does bubbles up—stress, anxiety, fear, anger, denial—and we don’t

What’s Clouding Your Vision?

On October 20, 2015

I was coaching a client and feeling a little frustrated. Wanting to nudge him towards what I thought was an obvious choice of what he should do. How could he not see that? As a coach, it is not my role to determine the right action. That comes from the client. Yet every question I

On October 13, 2015

Feedback from Boss #1: “You’re not working fast enough.” Huh? I turn in my projects on time. They are complete and accurate. What am I doing wrong? What does “right” look like? This is hanging over my head and I don’t know how to fix it. Feedback from Boss #2: “I know the due date is set

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