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

Building Trust Over a Plate of Sardines and Tomatoes

On July 5, 2018

In the U.S. we are celebrating the anniversary of our Independence on July 4th this week. And with that comes a whole lot of tradition—picnics, fireworks, and FOOD. What’s your July 4th fave? Hamburgers? Ribs? Corn on the cob? Baked beans? For me, the meat varies depending on who’s showing up, but the constant is

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

Look Up, Way Up

On January 17, 2017

Is one of your 2017 goals to get promoted? Do you feel you are doing a good job, getting good reviews, and yet the next level seems to elude you? I have a couple of young professional clients who are feeling this frustration. They have ‘followed the rules’ at their company, gained expertise over the

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

You Know What You Want To Do…How Do You Want To BE?

On May 10, 2016

I want to share an incredibly powerful concept with you, something I was first exposed to when I readIntegration: the Power of Being Co-Active in Work and Life by Ann Betz and Karen Kimsey-House. It’s called ‘designing the alliance’ and it is the joining of the ‘doing’ and the ‘being,’ the ‘what’ and the ‘how.’ We

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

Stuck On A Problem? The Best Question Ever A Leader Can Ask

On October 6, 2015

What is the most powerful question you can ask when an employee has a problem? — How would you like me to help you think about this? — Yet, what’s our natural tendency? We make comparisons: “Oh I had something like that happen to me

What’s Your Workplace Mojo?

On September 22, 2015

A Tale of Two Companies Two colleagues had recent job transitions and very different experiences. S. started a new job at a different company. When she walks in the office on the first day, there is a cookbook, two pots of herbs, and a vase of flowers on her new desk. Leaning against the vase

The Power Of Going Last

On August 11, 2015

Ryan*, the team leader and project manager for an IT operations contract, knew he had to change the dynamics of his team. More experienced and with a higher level view than his technical staff, Ryan found himself often intervening with the solution when problems arose. He was beginning to feel burdened with always having to

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