Your organization has core values — but how often do you actually use them? Most teams I work with have values posted somewhere, but they're not part of the day-to-day. And that's a missed opportunity. When a team knows its values, they become a guide. They help you make hard decisions and navigate tension, and…
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A Leadership Lesson from Geese
What One Senior Leadership Team Learned about Collective Strengths Recently, I traveled to work with a senior leadership team that oversees a subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company. I started the "Our Leadership Edge" workshop with a saying often attributed to African wisdom: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to…
read moreYou Can’t Read the Label from Inside the Bottle
Leadership isn't just about doing; it's about pausing to reflect. And that's where coaching really helps. We're so busy striving that we don't create enough space to step back. Coaching gives us that space—and doing it with someone else makes all the difference. You can't read the label from inside the bottle. We're living our…
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It’s the Fresh Start Effect!
Given that so many New Year's resolutions fail (mine included), I wasn't sure it was worth the trouble this time around. But I came across several pieces about goal-setting in the last couple of weeks (it is that time of year, after all) that helped me understand not only why New Year's resolutions could be…
read moreThis Metaphor Will Change How You Lead (Above / Below the Line)
Are you above the line or below the line? It's a deceptively simple metaphor, but it will change the way you see yourself and others. At any point in time, we are either "above the line" or "below the line." Above the line = being open, curious, and committed to learning Below the line =…
read moreHow to Interrupt Limiting Beliefs
When my colleague Alex and I talked about limiting beliefs, he said something that stuck with me: "It's like living your life with the handbrake on." We all have those moments when we get caught in self-judgment—when we become defensive in a difficult conversation, spiral in our thoughts, or second-guess ourselves out of fear of…
read moreWhy Focusing on Your Strengths is Essential for Leaders
This is why I’m a strengths-based executive leadership coach. Gallup’s research shows that people who focus on their strengths are: ✓ 6x more engaged at work ✓ 6x more likely to do what they do best each day ✓ 3x more likely to report an excellent quality of life For those reasons, I use the…
read moreAre You on Autopilot?
My colleague Alex describes something so many leaders experience: "It's like spinning a wheel. You wake up, you work, you go to bed, you wake up, you work—doing things on autopilot." When we're on autopilot, we're not pausing to reflect. We're not asking: Is this really where I'm thriving? Am I building my energy—or just…
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What Energy Do We Bring as Leaders?
A few weeks ago, I wrote about watching 13,000 Phish fans experience pure joy at Forest Hills Stadium and wondering how we could create similar conditions for people to feel that energized and authentic at work. I was at that show with a former colleague I hadn't seen in years—a fantastic teacher who used to…
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The Science of Small Joys
At Tuesday night's sold-out Phish concert at Forest Hills Stadium (my first Phish concert in almost 20 years!), 13,000 people experienced pure, unguarded joy. If you've been to a Phish concert, you know exactly what I mean. Balloons abound, glow sticks alight, and everyone is dancing. 🎈 last week's newsletter and Gallup's research that hope…
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