Ian Jackson

Stop Looking at Your Results!

Are you someone who starts each year with New Year’s resolutions? If so, how do they usually go for you? Are you able to stick with them throughout the year? Maybe a month or two? Or do they usually fade away after a couple of weeks, or even days? Assuming the latter (sorry, but let’sContinue reading “Stop Looking at Your Results!”

Completing 2022 and Moving On to 2023

As we move towards the end of another year full of challenges and growth, successes and failures, many of us are looking for ways to bring closure to the year and recharge for the new year. Depending on your role, a clean break from work may not be possible (if this it true for you,Continue reading “Completing 2022 and Moving On to 2023”

How Going “Goblin Mode” Can Be a Good Thing!

Goblins might seem better suited for Halloween than Hannukah or Christmas, but Oxford Dictionaries announced this week that “goblin mode” has been selected by an online vote as its word (or phrase) of the year, receiving over 300,000 votes – more than 93% of the total. “Goblin mode,” in case you’re not familiar with theContinue reading “How Going “Goblin Mode” Can Be a Good Thing!”

Using the “Whoa Test” in Everyday Conversations

Are you familiar with deepfakes? These are manipulated videos using AI technology to make a person appear to do or say something they did not, and they are more than just convincingly believable – it takes active disbelief in what your eyes are seeing to know that some deepfakes are in fact, fake. And deepfakeContinue reading “Using the “Whoa Test” in Everyday Conversations”

Banquet, Potluck, and Thanksgiving Models of Leadership

While the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US has a controversial history and our cultural retelling of it is inaccurate, the traditional Thanksgiving meal can help us reflect on how we lead others. This week seems an appropriate time to revisit the ideas of Banquet Leadership, Potluck Leadership, and the hybrid model we call Thanksgiving Leadership. If you’veContinue reading “Banquet, Potluck, and Thanksgiving Models of Leadership”

Wakanda Forever: Acknowledging Grief and Loss at Work

Writer/director Ryan Coogler faced a nearly impossible task in creating Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The sequel to the 2018 Black Panther movie needed to acknowledge and honor the shocking death of the franchise’s lead actor Chadwick Boseman while also finding ways to move on, for the story’s characters, for the hundreds of actors and behind-the-cameraContinue reading “Wakanda Forever: Acknowledging Grief and Loss at Work”

Keeping Faith in Authenticity

Formal, structured conversations have a particular feeling unlike any other. Think of job interviews. How many have you been a part of – either as the interviewee or one of the interviewers? Remember the tension in the air? The desire to impress? The fear of screwing up? In the executive coaching work I do, role-playsContinue reading “Keeping Faith in Authenticity”

Keeping Questions Casual

Here in the US, it’s the spookiest time of year. No, not Halloween… Election season! I wonder if you too have been receiving emails (or texts) with calls for immediate action, and questions like “Why haven’t you [donated/called/supported]?!” The uptick in demands – from both sides of the political spectrum – is always alarming duringContinue reading “Keeping Questions Casual”

“Zinnias Make Great Listeners” – Who are Your Zinnias?

What was the last high-stakes conversation you initiated? How prepared did you feel going into it? Perhaps this was delivering performance evaluations to team members, or maybe it was applying for a new job, or something entirely different. Such conversations can be as daunting as playing a musical instrument in front of an audience, deliveringContinue reading ““Zinnias Make Great Listeners” – Who are Your Zinnias?”

Stop Solving Problems! The Value of Wondering and Asking

When you were young, did you listen to the radio and hope your favorite song would come on because it was the only way to hear it? Did you go to a Blockbuster Video with options of movies to rent because you knew your first choice might be out? During dinner table conversations, did youContinue reading “Stop Solving Problems! The Value of Wondering and Asking”