I’ve always believed that challenging experiences help us to grow. From that perspective, 2020 offered us a learning opportunity like no other. I don’t know about you, but I really hope 2021 involves a little less learning. So now what? While it’s tempting to block out the whole year and focus on the future, I [...]
Sometimes we get into the habit of doing the same things we’ve always done. Personal and even workplace habits that once served us, can become stale and even obsolete. I’ll use my own father as an example. Since I can remember, Dad has kept a handy little logbook in his glove compartment to document the [...]
We can make every effort to be objective, rational, and open-minded when making decisions or contemplating new ideas, but there are several roadblocks that may get in the way. The first one is cognitive bias. We simply can’t escape its effects. I’ll give you an example. You’re presented with a new business opportunity. Naturally, you’ll [...]
Many leaders experience setbacks—or even failures. Perhaps they feel like their influence is waning. Their ideas aren’t translating, or their teams aren’t producing at the right level. These leaders might be doing all the right things, but their effectiveness seems diluted. Ever had that feeling? If so, the problem could be leadership blind spots. These [...]
What you don’t see can hurt you. Is your professional reputation what you think it should be? Watch this video to discover if subtle behaviors and unconscious habits could be sabotaging your success. Know someone who might benefit from this career tip or find it interesting? Go ahead…pass it along. Better yet, leave [...]
Last month, I had the privilege of delivering a keynote speech to 500 incredibly talented professionals at Working Mother Media’s annual Multicultural Women’s National Conference in New York City. As I took the stage on the first morning and began to share my story, I was struck by the remarkable vibe in the room. These [...]
In Part 1 of this blog (“Corporate Blind Spots”), I discussed the link between a company’s success and its reputation (perceptions held by customers, partners, vendors and even employees). Many organizations don’t have a clear picture of how they are perceived, and these blind spots are often holding them back. Uncovering that true reputation and [...]
I frequently talk with corporate audiences about the concept of "blind spots” and the impact they can have on our professional success. In a recent guest blog, I shared the story about my personal epiphany on this subject. And let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty. Blind spots affect all of us, including me. To find [...]
Renowned leadership expert John Baldoni has a compelling and insightful viewpoint on this subject. John was kind enough to write the foreword for my book, You – According to Them, and I would like to share an excerpt. In this essay, John discusses his thoughts about a style of leadership that has proven to be [...]
It’s the classic battle of Perception versus Reality. We all hope that our “messages” (verbal and nonverbal) are received by others the way we intended them, but many different factors can prevent that from happening. We may not be aware that our behavior or tone is inadvertently contradicting our message. The “disconnect” can take many [...]