Blog

In more than twenty years of coaching senior leaders, I’m clear on the answer to the question, “What is the #1 mistake leaders make?” Most Leaders Think They’re Giving Their Team Members Enough Feedback  But that’s not so. A friend who’d recently moved into a GM role hadn’t had feedback from her boss. She wasRead more

“Maybe I’m not capable of being the leader that I want to be.” “I’m not confident that I can do a decent job as an executive.” “Who do I think I am? Truth be known, I’m not really very effective in my role.”   So many leaders talk about how they sometimes feel like aRead more

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” —George Bernard Shaw   Brilliant leaders think differently to not-so-brilliant leaders. This is good news—given that you’re 100% in control of the way you think. But let’s be clear about this… In the short-term, controlling the way you think is simple—but, as you’ve probably noticed,Read more

I don’t think we have any option but to accept what’s going on in this interesting new world we live in—and plan a bright future for ourselves, both as a person on the planet and as a leader. Many female leaders are getting real clarity about how they can be a stronger leader from myRead more

This question isn’t as lightweight as it sounds. Because our brain is a question-asking and question-answering mechanism, as soon as you ask, “What are you hoping for?”, your brain begins to paint a picture of your ideal outcome. But wait, there’s more… Once your brain begins to paint a picture of what you’re hoping for,Read more

I’m speaking to female leaders, in particular, here… You don’t need to settle for anything less than being totally inspiring and sought-after. Being an OK leader isn’t good-enough. You don’t need to be anything less than your ideal. Your first step in moving towards being the leader you want to be is to figure outRead more

Sadly, the bell curve is just as real when applied to a leader’s performance as it is in other realms of performance. Female leaders typically sit in one of four categories on the normal curve of distribution, aka the bell curve: As a female leader, when you sit in the Red zone… You’ll be inRead more

Here’s another Seth Godin beauty… “Better than it needs to be. Why not? Why not make it more generous, more fair, more insightful than it needs to be? Why not deliver the service with more flair, more care and more urgency? Why not do it because you can, not because you have to…” Just imagine,Read more

The greatest gift you can give anyone, both as a leader and as a person on the planet, is to be fully present when they’re talking to you. Be 100% present. Hear what they’re saying. Hear what’s behind what they’re saying. And hear what they’re not saying. Regardless of whether they’re telling you about theRead more

“Who am I to have a goal of being a senior leader?”  “I’m afraid of being found out.” “I really do doubt myself from time to time.” “I don’t have imposter syndrome. I really am a fraud.”   Most high-achieving, intelligent, ambitious leaders have “imposter” thoughts like these from time to time. (If you don’t,Read more

Your Career Doesn’t Need to Stall So many female leaders’ careers stall as they attempt to climb the hierarchical ladder. But they don’t need to. Are you one of those female leaders who feels frustrated because you’re not being offered the promotion you’re after? (Of course, male leaders’ careers stall too. But women tend toRead more

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the ability to notice and influence one’s own and others’ emotions. It involves competencies such as emotional self-awareness, self-regard, empathy, assertiveness, stress tolerance, flexibility and optimism.   Recently I was told about two senior executives who, in a meeting with their team members, declared that they didn’t have high EQ. One ofRead more

Seth Godin, the author, entrepreneur and marketer whose thinking I truly admire, said: “It’s possible that you are the way you are, that you do what you do, that you react as you react—and that it can never be changed. Believing this is incredibly sad though. Each of us is capable of just a littleRead more

“Maybe I’m not capable of being the leader that I want to be.” “I’m not confident that I can do a decent job as an executive.” “Who do I think I am? Truth be known, I’m not really very effective in my role.”   So many leaders talk about how they sometimes feel like aRead more

Brilliant leaders think differently to not-so-brilliant leaders. This is good news if you want your leadership to be more brilliant than it currently is—given that you’re 100% in control of the way you think :-). But let’s be clear about this: In the short-term, controlling the way you think is simple, yes—but it’s not particularlyRead more

You know that “squinty eyed” feeling you get when you’re talking with someone you don’t entirely trust, don’t you? You put so much energy into figuring out where they’re coming from and what they really want, you’re not entirely listening to what they’re saying. Because you’re busy trying to guess their end-game you’re: Not fullyRead more

I’ve loved receiving your comments and feedback on my Leadership Blogs throughout the year. Thank you for your thoughts and for your appreciation :-). You’ve indicated that the most valuable Leadership Blogs in 2017 have been the three I’ve linked below… How To Put Things Right When Someone’s Peeved With You   You so oftenRead more

Have you ever worked for a leader who put most of their energy into what they do—things like strategic planning, motivating the team to produce results, following up on commitments, and so on…… ……rather than who they are as a leader—things like always being authentic and personally disciplined and oozing emotional intelligence?   “Statistically Speaking,Read more

Every leader I coach wants to feel totally proud of who they are as a leader. And that’s my intent as a coach—to help every leader I work with feel totally proud of their leadership practices and behaviours. To help me stay true to that pledge, I have a question for you…   When itRead more