A couple of weeks ago, I had professional business photos taken at my home. I always dread photos because I am not a natural smiler. Since I was a kid, when I posed for photos, I didn’t look natural—I always had a fake, forced smile (the photo above was taken at my aunt and uncle’s wedding. I had a fake smile even at four years old!). Typically, it takes the photographer fifty or more photos…
As a leadership consultant and success coach, I believe that habits are an important element of leadership success. Our daily practices are what support our focus, results, and growth to be at our best every day so we can effectively serve those who we lead. I believe that sleep is one of the most underrated success habits, and when crunched for time, I often choose sleep over other practices I have instilled like meditation and…
A few months after I was promoted to director of human resources, my vice president called me into her office to discuss my new role. She noticed I was still doing some work from my previous position as a human resources generalist, and said that I needed to learn to delegate those things to my team members. Even though my responsibilities had changed, I was still answering benefit questions and fixing payroll issues when employees…
You know the saying, “Out with the old, in with the new.” When a new year begins, many people take the time to assess their life and create goals or intentions for having a successful year. Perhaps they attempt to purge old habits that don’t serve them and adopt better habits that will help them reach their goals. They declutter their home, their office and their closets to make room for the new. Organizations can…
Doesn’t it feel good to turn the page to 2021? Perhaps not much has changed, but having a fresh start to the new year brings hope of better things to come. In January, many of us set goals, intentions, or resolutions. While those practices are helpful and can set our path for a successful year, they can also create a sense of disappointment and failure if we don’t start the year perfectly and stick to…
I had big goals for 2020. In February, I started writing my leadership book, which was going to be my main project of the year. Then COVID happened in March, and I found myself at home with three kids struggling to balance pivoting my workshops to online sessions and getting my kids through virtual learning. It took me a few months to work through the difficult disruption and shift to a more positive mindset. I…
When I first became a manager, I thought my job was to give instructions and answer questions. No one sat down with me and set expectations on how to effectively lead a team. I wasn’t provided with any leadership training. One day I was just given the responsibility to supervise someone. I became a fixer. She had a problem; I would fix it. After all, that was my job, right? Over time, my employee would…
I write a monthly blog for the Credit Union Executive Society (CUES) and when they asked if I would write a blog on advice for working remotely during back-to-school season, I struggled at first to think of what I could contribute. I want to preface my column with a caveat—I don’t know all the answers. I don’t have a magic wand to make things go back to normal. Every situation is unique. But there is…
Ellen DeGeneres has had a tough month. Multiple news outlets have been circulating employee and celebrity stories accusing Ellen of not living up to her declaration of “be kind to one another”. I don’t know if these stories are true, but they are certainly compelling given various instances shared of Ellen being more mean-spirited than kind-hearted. Ellen’s current predicament is a great leadership lesson for all of us. It’s not the words you say that…
The past few months have been one of the most challenging times I’ve faced in my adult life. Back in March when our school system announced that schools would be closed for two weeks, I remember panicking about what I would do with my kids for two weeks while I worked. Little did I know, that almost four months later they would still be home! Don’t get me wrong. I love my kids. I love…
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