How often do you face a hard choice, perhaps related to your work team or hiring, only to receive the advice “just sleep on it”? Does that feel like just putting the problem off for another time? Conversely, have you ever rushed into a decision about something only to regret it and wish you’d leftContinue reading “Can You Sleep Your Problems Away?”
Category Archives: Leadership
Clapping After a Movie? The Value of Celebrating
When I was 9, my mom took me to the movie theater to see Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. In true mid-80s fashion, the plot revolved around two things: time travel, and saving the whales. At the end, as the credits rolled, I experienced my first pre-teen moment of being mortified by my parentContinue reading “Clapping After a Movie? The Value of Celebrating”
Ask Questions That Have No Right (or Wrong!) Answers
What are some things you’re wondering about these days? What are some questions you’re finding yourself thinking about? During recent conversations in a non-profit I work with, we realized that when it comes to how the organization’s audience is thinking about the future of AI and work, we had more questions than answers. More toContinue reading “Ask Questions That Have No Right (or Wrong!) Answers”
Could You be Your Workplace’s “Minister for Loneliness?”
Have you been through periods of life where you’ve felt isolated from the people around you? How about times where you’ve felt a strong sense of connection and belonging? How have the eras of your life felt different in that regard? If it’s a spectrum, where would you place this current era of your lifeContinue reading “Could You be Your Workplace’s “Minister for Loneliness?””
What is Kaizen? What are the 5S Pillars?
Are you familiar with the term “kaizen”? It comes up in my work with clients on an almost daily basis. It’s a Japanese word (in which it is written “改善”), with a literal translation of “good change,” or “change for better,” but it is most commonly used to mean continuous improvement, often – though notContinue reading “What is Kaizen? What are the 5S Pillars?”
Choosing When to be a Rental Car Agent, not a Driver
My end-of-Summer season is often filled with programs and workshops for teachers – team-building, experiential learning, goal-setting. It’s one of my favorite kinds of groups to work with. The mix of long-term teachers with new (or new-to-the-school) teachers brings an opportunity to discover together what kind of culture they want to create. Using experiential activitiesContinue reading “Choosing When to be a Rental Car Agent, not a Driver”
When Leaders Don’t Respond
How often have you sent multiple emails to someone before getting a response? How often have you received multiple emails before responding? Chances are, you’ve been on both sides of that equation. Of course, if you’ve received multiple emails and haven’t responded, you can usually identify reasons why: you’re snowed under, or you need moreContinue reading “When Leaders Don’t Respond”
A Brand New Day for Your Leadership using “The Marvel Method”?
With Spider-Man: Brand New Day making more than a billion dollars worldwide in just seven days, and breaking all kinds of records along the way, now seems like a good time to look back at Spider-Man’s origins, and what we can learn from them. No, not the radioactive spider, Uncle Ben’s death and the resultingContinue reading “A Brand New Day for Your Leadership using “The Marvel Method”?”
Text, Voice, and Recalibrating Tone
Have you ever received a message from someone at work and interpreted the tone as angry, terse, or upset, leaving you stewing for days over what you did that caused that response, or how your reputation or relationships might be damaged as a result? On the flip side, have you ever sent a quick textContinue reading “Text, Voice, and Recalibrating Tone”
What is Cooperative Overlap? Isn’t It Just Interrupting?
Cooperative Overlap (or Collaborative Overlap) is a term coined by Georgetown University professor of linguistics and author Deborah Tannen, in which the listener starts talking along with the speaker, not to cut them off but rather to validate or show they’re engaged in what the other person is saying. In conversations, do you have aContinue reading “What is Cooperative Overlap? Isn’t It Just Interrupting?”
