More often than I would have anticipated, I hear an executive coaching client say something like, “I didn’t see it coming” or “How did I miss the warning signs?” when talking about working in a place that isn’t right for them now, or maybe ever.
Yes, how does this happen? [Read more…]
A request/plea I hear often from my executive coaching clients revolves around listening — “How can I become a better listener?”, “How do I know if I’m a good listener?”, and “What is meant by listening at various levels.” These are just a few examples of questions around the topic. [Read more…]
In my work as an executive coach I have interaction and access to a broad number of people in and about their workplace. I’m often struck by the level of loyalty, diligence, creativity and selflessness so many demonstrate.
I also hear misconceptions people have, grandiose expectations, wants superseding needs, and general naiveté. [Read more…]
Whether you’re at the peak of your career (something difficult to determine in a rapidly changing workplace environment) or you’ve recently entered the professional workforce, there are important actions, items, and mindsets to consider and work on. I call them your “Essential Career Toolkit.” [Read more…]
Do people sabotage careers in the workplace intentionally? Believe it or not, sometimes, yes. However, in most circumstances individuals, even teams, do so without awareness or motive. [Read more…]
There is a pattern I am seeing among a group of my coaching clients. Men and women in their mid-thirties to late forties who want to change jobs and are having difficulty doing so. There are many reasons why this is happening ― they make too much money to be junior and affordable, their specialty is so narrow few opportunities exist, or their network is too small and outdated, they have limited access to the right people and possibilities. [Read more…]
I recently viewed a brief video on office culture, “How do CEOs create an ideal work culture? ‘You live it’,” featuring Patty McCord, a coach and consultant to CEOs. Patty worked as the Chief Talent Officer at Netflix for many years where she was charged with “reimagining office culture and disrupting best practices.”
Patty is a bold and inventive leader who has little tolerance for many of the tried and true practices of most office cultures. Here are a few: [Read more…]
Hierarchy, superstars, lone contributors, financial incentives, powerplays, conflict-driven settings are at the core of most workplaces we know and for whom we work.
What the so-called leaders of these companies don’t understand is that these very attributes, beliefs, and behaviors are sabotaging productivity and creativity, and the reason they will never reach their full potential. [Read more…]
There are certain traits that can be attributed to almost all highly successful leaders ― intelligence, intellectual curiosity, ambition, discipline, but do they operate in day-to-day, the same way? It would be hard to imagine they have similar MOs but an article in Forbes shows they share many, very specific, ways of managing the volume and variety of their tasks and responsibilities. [Read more…]
I have argued for many years there are not enough rewards and incentives in the workplace. I am not referring exclusively about monetary compensation. I am also referencing other forms of rewards and incentives.
What gets noticed, recognized, and acted upon tells us what is valued and who will succeed in a workplace. [Read more…]