Leaders Are Readers
Use This Word to Decrease Defensiveness & Promote Productivity in the Workplace
*Works at home, too! When my kids were young and would squabble at the table, I’d stick a cereal box between them. It was a real sanity saver. And while I believe that leaders should look at everyone on their team as someone’s son or daughter and treat each associate how they’d want their own …
Taking Charge of Life
In the ‘90s I did a keynote presentation entitled “Today’s Thoughts, Tomorrow’s Reality” for several organizations, including Goodwill Industries, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association, El Dorado’s Self-Esteem Task Force, South Sacramento Resource Group, Sacramento Employers Advisory Council, the West Coast Women’s Show, Golden Bear Mortgage Corporation, Downtown Capitol Business & Professional Women, and Body Wise …
Can’t
Recently came across this poem I’d saved from a newsletter back in 1996. Originally published in 1916. Still holds true today: “Refuse it the lodgment it seeks in your brain”! Can’tBy Edgar A. Guest Can’t is the worst word ever written or spoken;Doing more harm here than slander and liesOn it is many a strong …
The Children’s Fable That Belongs at Your Meeting Table
Imagine sitting around the conference table with your colleagues and having the meeting’s leader begin the day’s agenda with—“Once upon a time…” I can tell you from experience, holding up a “Little Golden Book” when conducting a meeting is an effective way to tap into the memories of your team and make the messages you …
Starting With ‘The Ask’: How Thought Leaders Empower Their Teams
When I was in my teens, just starting out in the workforce selling tickets and popcorn at a movie theater, I had a boss. That’s it. A boss. Not a director. Not a leader. And definitely not a coach or a mentor. Just a boss named Dennis, who was out on parole for manufacturing cocaine… …
Revisiting the 3 Rules of Conduct: How to Cultivate a Collaborative Company Culture by Ignoring The Golden Rule, Defining The Platinum Rule, & Prioritizing The Diamond Rule
In grade school (or Sunday school), most of us were taught what many regard as life’s most important rule of conduct—The Golden Rule: Treat others how you want to be treated. You wouldn’t want to be teased or tormented, so you should refrain from doing this to others. It makes sense. There are certain social …
Why I Refuse to ‘Pivot’ & Instead ‘Shift Gears’
I refuse to “pivot.” Yep, I said it. Every time I hear the word, I cringe. At first, I didn’t quite understand why. But then I sat down and really thought about it… The term isn’t just being overused in the entrepreneurial world; it’s being used incorrectly. The literal definition is to stay in one …
How a $.39 Cent Taco Can Turn You Into a Rising Phoenix in the Midst of Economic Uncertainty
As the events surrounding the Coronavirus unfold, I’ve had people (virtually) nudge me and say, “You should share your ‘defining moment’ story!” Something about a story I told back during the mortgage crisis has stuck with people. And during this time of economic uncertainty, it seems that stories of triumph are what we’re craving right …