I just returned from 2 weeks of family vacation in Italy.
 
For the first time since the advent of mobile phones, I made the conscious decision to unplug 100%.  No Internet, no cell phone, no television, no newspapers, and no business periodicals. I took 3 books: two off-beat Italian books, and one I love called “Right [...]

August: Write the ”bones” of your business plan. While it is warm and the days are still long, spend some time in thought.  You are more likely to find a day or two now to plan than you are once school begins.  Sit outside and breathe some fresh air and think about what changes and improvements you are [...]

Does your workplace feel or appear less professional these days? 
Here are six steps to help your team ”polish up” their presence:
1. Join Toastmasters.
Very affordable (about $75 per year) Toastmasters is a great place to practice your speaking and presentation skills in a safe and encouraging environment. It helps with your grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, you name it. Almost every community [...]

The most powerful learning experience in my past was intensive outpatient recovery for my alcoholism.  At the age of 43, I was in the late, chronic stages of alcoholism, slipping quickly into a time when my only option would have been institutionalization.  There are many excuses I can make for why I ended up on [...]

As our calendar year comes to a close, reviewing what you worked on and the big changes we made together, here were the top issues of 2010:

Resolving Conflict Across Generations
Increasing Engagement and Efficiency
Building Trust Throughout the Organization
Better Communication to Increase Productivity
Re-visiting Corporate Vision, Mission and Values and Getting Clarity
Creating Commitment and Improving Accountability
Understanding and Using Workplace Motivators
Improving [...]

Voice: “Knock Knock”.
Leader: “Who’s there?”
Voice: “Anxiety.”
Leader: “Oh, hi again.  Who sent you?”
Anxiety: “You called me”
Leader: “I did?”
Anxiety: “Yes”
Leader: “Oh, sorry.  I didn’t mean to.  I must have dialed the wrong number.  You are welcome to come in but only for a second.  You can’t stay.  I have priorities that are important to me”.
Anxiety: “You mean [...]

Customer Experience When Messages are Mixed 
 
I always wonder: Does senior leadership know what their customer is experiencing, or are they out of touch?  Do they get to hear the truth from consumers of their product or service, or do unhappy customers just say nothing and never return?
 
My husband and I recently took all three (young [...]

The most powerful learning experience in my past was during intensive outpatient recovery for my alcoholism.  At the age of 43, I was in the late, chronic stages of alcoholism, slipping quickly into a time when my only option would have been institutionalization.  There are many excuses I can make for why I ended up [...]

Busy and successful people find themselves getting ”hit up” for all sorts of fundraisers, and to be on boards of directors on a regular basis.  If you are reading this post, you are probably thinking to yourself ”No kidding, it happened to me three times last week.”
Here are some principles I’ve learned since I began spending 1/2 my time volunteering [...]

A Primer on Loss and Grief for Leaders
If you are running a company of any size, you hear about some relative or friend of your workforce dying almost every day. In even the smallest company, there is loss all around your employees. Loss you don’t see, and I am about to make you aware of. [...]