March 8 is International Women's Day! The 2021 theme is #ChoosetoChallenge. "We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world," says the International Women's Day website. As I reflect on equality in… Continue reading #ChoosetoChallenge
As the weeks of distancing, virtual schooling, and virtual working have drawn on, I think about how this year is different. My family and I have had less time with friends and extended family. I've had less need to buy new clothing and new shoes. I have less opportunity to buy a Starbucks coffee as… Continue reading Do More with Less
peer·less /ˈpirləs/ adjective unequaled; unrivaled. We all wish, sometime during our life, that we were peerless. We wish to be on top of the mountain with no one to push us off. To be unrivaled or unequaled would be fantastic. Wait! That mountain would be wildly lonely. We would have no one with which… Continue reading Be Peerless
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. ~ Socrates Socrates makes it sound easy to make change happen. For a less significant change, the simplicity of Socrates' statement holds true for implementation. Other change is monumental and becomes a milestone moment… Continue reading Change and Transition
Those of us over a certain age, let's just say 40ish, remember what life was like as kids. Now it does depend on your location. But my memories seem simple compared to how my kids live today. Well, this was true until now. I'm seeing ways and trends become daily activities, and funny enough I… Continue reading Does the New Normal mean a Return to the Good ol’ Days?
As a child, I always loved hearing a good story. Even now, I find myself mesmerized by certain people when they speak. They command my attention, capture my emotion, and pull me in. What makes this small group of people unique? They leave me on the edge of my seat, and I only want to… Continue reading Tell Me a Story
Are we separated or more connected? We are living through historical times where we are separated. I think this is a good time to restart our learning of real connection and care for people. Connecting in an isolated world looks and feels different than when we were freer to move about. Typically, I think about… Continue reading Separated or Connected
Your strongest muscle and worst enemy is your mind. Train it well. ~ unknown We train our bodies, our dogs, and now we even train our computers through AI. So why not train our brains? For those of us in the "growth mindset" camp, brain training is almost a daily occurrence with no age limit.… Continue reading Train your Mind!
The days of revealing change, fear, news, and vulnerability have come. Many of these reveals have arrived in recent weeks as the Covid-19 pandemic worsened. It made me wonder if there were people in this world that hadn't heard of Covid-19? Public safety warnings can be seen everywhere. While driving today, I noticed that even… Continue reading The Days of Revealing …
My blog allows for sharing, considering, and collaborating on the topic of developing your talent and the talent of others. My passion for learning has led me to believe that knowledge changes you and draws you to want to learn more. What can you do to provide simple thoughts that can assist in your learning… Continue reading Learning is Thriving
A few weeks ago I was chatting with a co-worker about roles inside the company. He mentioned that he needed frequent job changes, and I would agree that I need the same. But when job changes are not a possibility, I explained that disrupting and recreating are needed to maintain engagement in roles.
When fear approaches, face it with Courage, Calm, and Curiosity!
"We don't even know how strong we are until we are forced to bring that hidden strength forward. In times of tragedy, of war, of necessity, people do amazing things. The human capacity for survival and renewal is awesome." ~Isabel Allende Strengths are what drive us through difficult times and can provide a large amount… Continue reading Individual Strengths
While listening to a speaker a few weeks ago, she stated, "Women are over mentored and under-supported." This statement resonated with me. Our careers include so many different players... Mentors, Coaches, and Supporters. The players all perform a different role. My environment promotes Mentors and Coaches with my interpretation of these roles being: Mentoring –… Continue reading Support Us!
Most all of us have used a recipe sometime in our lives. A recipe is a set of instructions that describes how to prepare or make something, especially a dish of prepared food. The term recipe is also used in medicine or information technology (e.g., user acceptance). A recipe is often thought to be used by a novice, but I find this… Continue reading Recipe for Life Intersected
Last week the Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of America’s leading companies, published a new Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation. Since 1997, the Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation focused on the service to Shareholders. The new Statement which was updated for the modern state of business states that a Corporation benefits all stakeholders,… Continue reading Is Corporate breaking from the Milton Friedman model?
The saying Seeing is Believing has been used since biblical times. Most of us follow this philosophy in business. We want to see the financials and understand the successes and failures. Yet then, why, at times, do we turn a blind eye to our employees? This thought came over me as I was re-reading the book Leaders Eat Last… Continue reading Do you SEE the people in your organization?
As I reflect on my career, I find it amazing how biased we all can be. We judge, critique, and make assumptions. I've had leadership "critique" me and make assumptions without personally knowing me. Most of the assumptions that stuck were unrelated to my work performance. She has no creativity or people skills because she is… Continue reading Stick and Stones…
In the last years, I have watched my kids learning to water ski. They would fall and fail but would continue to get up. They kept trying until they succeeded, and all the time we were there cheering them on. It's funny how we change as adults. How often will you continue to try after… Continue reading Failure as a Stepping Stone
For those of you that have been Muskie fishing, you will know what I’m talking about. The Muskie is the elusive fish of the North; they are known as the fish of 10,000 casts. The day starts so well. You get out on the boat, and you pick your favorite lure. My lure is usually… Continue reading Patience, Winning and Celebrating
At a young age, we are often asked by others, "what do you want to do when you grow up?" I know I'm asking my teens this question, and I continue to ask this when I coach adults. The irony is that if they asked me this question, I would not have 100% clarity. Twenty… Continue reading RAPPP to Find Your Mid Career Path
The morning grind is something that most of us feel. We brew our ground coffee or go to a coffee shop, and we head into work. Who is drinking the coffee these days? "Bloomberg’s report cited research that says millennials consume 44 percent of coffee in the United States." (1) Today's coffee trend may be offering… Continue reading Will our Morning Coffee bring us together?
While attending school, most of us have heard this at one time or another, “Show your work.” While this was a good idea and easy in school, showing your work has become more and more difficult as an adult. Showing your work (your creativity) can now impart anxiety because it leaves us open to judgment… Continue reading Show Your Work & Creativity
CORE TRUTH TO CORE LIE A few weeks ago, I was speaking with a Millennial about some team building training she was receiving. She said, “part of the team building training was to share your core lie.” “Core Lie, what do you mean,” I said. The moment spurred some research on my part, which led… Continue reading Vulnerability
With Father's Day approaching, I felt that I wanted to write about the advice I received from my father with the most impact. It was 1998. It was the year of the Seinfeld finale and the release of the box office hit -Titanic. Google was founded, and Bill Clinton was president. I was a young… Continue reading A Father’s Advice
Beliefs about missions vary greatly. Some believe a mission is just a bunch of words. Others believe a mission guides an organization or individual. I believe in the latter and that a mission is needed and necessary to maintain some continuity. As stated in a Forbes article on Corporate Missions, " ...a company needs an anchoring… Continue reading Missions – Do you have one? Do you need one?
"Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall; it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing, in the end, can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away… Continue reading Water serves as Business & Career Lessons
"I want freedom for the full expression of my personality." ~Mahatma Gandhi To gain maximum fulfillment of your skills, you must have the freedom to do so. Freedom may look different for everyone, but freedom is sought by all. At least that is the what Brendon Burchard suggests in The Motivation Manifesto. While reading Burchard's… Continue reading Freedom to Be You
"Some men (and women) give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; while others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than before." ~ Polybius We all have days when we have less drive and energy. There are times when we think, "Maybe I… Continue reading Keep Exerting Effort Toward YOUR Goal!
Consider This Thought 