ARTICLES
Soft Skills Are the Steering, Not the Engine
Hard skills are horsepower. Soft skills are steering. You can have enormous power — intelligence, expertise, decisiveness, strategic instinct. You can build plans quickly, make bold calls, restructure teams, close deals. But without steering? You just crash faster....
When the Balloon Won’t Rise
(What hot air ballooning teaches us about why your team isn't growing) You've just wrapped a team meeting. Direction is clear, priorities are set, everyone knows their role. Efficient. Purposeful. Thirty minutes, clean outcomes. Your team leaves. You feel good about...
The Drama Triangle at Work: Why You Keep Rescuing Your Team (And How to Stop)
Something just hit the fan You've just witnessed a team member storm out of a meeting. The room goes silent. Twenty people suddenly find their laptops fascinating. Everyone's waiting—waiting for you to do something, say something, fix this.Your first instinct kicks...
The Questions You’re Not Asking Are Costing You Your Best People
You've just finished another one-on-one with your top performer. You covered the project status, reviewed next week's deliverables, and confirmed the timeline in response to that client’s request. The meeting was efficient—twenty minutes, clear outcomes, and everyone...
How to Build Executive Presence Without Losing Your Authenticity
At long last, you have received a promotion to VP. You're in your first executive leadership team meeting. The CEO asks each leader for their views on workforce planning. Everyone speaks confidently, assertively, and clearly as the discussion continues. They use...
You’re Preparing Your Successor. You Just Don’t Know It Yet.
Your boss asks you a seemingly simple question: "If you got promoted tomorrow, who on your team could step into your role?" You pause. You start to answer, then stop. You think about your team members—talented, capable people who deliver great work. But could any of...
What will it take to say YES to saying NO?
“Freedom isn’t the ability to say yes, it’s the ability to say no.” – Anonymous You’ve just started your day, armed with a clear plan for what you can accomplish. You feel ready to go; there’s a a sense of optimism and possibility in the air. However, just as you...
Success = Suffering? No Pain, No Gain, No More!
“No Pain, No Gain” – Jane Fonda Jane Fonda had a catchy phrase back in the 1980s that she used to help motivate people to stay with their fitness workouts when the going got tough – “No pain, no gain!”. Today, that saying is applied to personal challenges across...
How to Influence Senior Leaders with Style and Grace
You’ve worked hard for your organization and yet for all your success, you are not an island. You know that to have greater impact you need to connect with senior leaders whom you may not encounter very often. So how do you influence them in a way that has integrity...
Timing is NOT everything. The right moment is now.
The scene of the crime You’ve just experienced conflict at work. Someone you supervise has done or said something that isn’t appropriate or up to snuff and it’s your job to talk with them to share your thoughts, find out what’s happening for them and to make requests...
How looking good kills trust, and how warts win
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How to Survive and Thrive with a Micromanaging Boss
“Just do it my way and we’ll get along fine.” -Boss you considered leaving for another job You were hired into your current role over many other qualified candidates because of your experience, expertise, and ability to get the job done. And now you have a boss who...