Not everyone is meant to be a leader. Just like not everyone is meant to be a teacher, a pilot, a customer service representative (have you experienced someone who definitely should NOT be in customer service? 🙄), an architect or a barista, not everyone is meant to be a leader. Yet many companies still follow the old practice of promoting the technical superstart to a leadership position. To elevate our cultures, we not to stop…
Once upon a time I might have labeled as being part of the “quiet quitting trend”. More than 20 years ago, I moved from my small hometown in upstate New York to Maryland. I was excited to start a new chapter in my life, and I was hired by a small technology company to be the office manager. During the interview process, the director of human resources painted a great picture of my new role:…
Right out of college, I worked in the IT department as a help desk representative for an insurance company in upstate New York where I grew up. I was the person you called if you had a computer problem, forgot your password, or couldn’t get the printer to work. I didn’t really know much about leadership or managing, but from the outside, it looked pretty great! Better pay, better title, a nice office, and more…
I love the beginning of a fresh, New Year! On New Year’s Eve 2021, I started a new ritual for letting go of what didn’t serve me that year so I could start the new year feeling renewed and optimistic. This year, I decided to share this practice with my family while we were on vacation at a resort in Virginia. At New Year’s Eve dinner, I handed out pieces of paper and asked my…
It was July, and I was exhausted. About five years after I started my leadership business, I was busy with clients and traveling locally and nationally for speaking events. By that summer, I was feeling overworked, and craved rest and rejuvenation. I looked at my calendar to book a week-long vacation for that fall and realized that there was not one week I didn’t have something on my schedule. A week-long vacation was not possible,…
In my last blog, I shared best practices for writing an effective annual performance review. Here I provide strategies for making the performance review meeting more comfortable, conversational, and meaningful. Most performance evaluation meetings are stressful and ineffective. According to Gallup, only 14% of employees strongly agree that their performance reviews inspire them to improve, and only two in ten strongly agree that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding…
Performance evaluations are one of the most dreaded practices in organizations. Employees fear them because they don’t know what to expect, and managers often avoid them because they often feel ill-prepared. Evaluations take time, effort, and planning, and many managers feel they don’t have the time. When the performance evaluation process is done correctly, it can be meaningful and effective. Employees need consistent and ongoing feedback to work at their peak potential. An important part…
Earlier in my career, my vice president asked me to prepare and deliver a presentation to our Board of Directors on a project we were leading. I had very little experience speaking in front of people, and I was terrified. I remember filling each PowerPoint slide with information, ready to “wow” my audience with detailed data and LOTS of bullet points. My face flushed and my voice was shaky as I delivered my presentation and…
The past six weeks been challenging for my family. My nine-year-old son has been sick since early August, and we have been visiting several doctors. He has had several medical procedures to determine what is causing his symptoms. After several weeks of anxiety and uncertainty, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disorder. Witnessing his pain and struggle has been very hard, and my compassion for those who have children with even more serious…
In a recent leadership program session, I was sharing strategies and tools for providing feedback to employees when one of the participants asked me a common question: How do I ask my manager for feedback? This leader said her vice president rarely gives feedback on her performance, and she is often left wondering how she is doing. This is not surprising, since one of the top reasons employees leave organizations is not getting meaningful feedback…
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