So often I have clients come to me saying something like: “Can you coach her so she can fit in here?” “I’m unhappy at work and I don’t know how to fix it.” “I got feedback from my boss and I want to fix it.” There is nothing to “fix”! None of us are broken. So often we compare ourselves to some other standard believing it is how we should be. Or we want someone else to “improve”. Whether it is in their relationship with others, the work they do, their behaviors, or even just the words they use. I… read more →
Recently there has been much talk about Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella’s comments about women and raises. He has apologized profusely for “projecting” his experience on more than half the population… good for him! As the dialogue has unfolded, it reminded me of a lesson I learned at the first company I joined after college… I graduated with an engineering degree from a highly respected college (Lafayette). However, it was a recession and it was before the days of internships so I did not have “relevant” experience. I was fortunate to be offered an entry-level job at $5.00/hr. That’s right, engineering… read more →
So many of us say… “I don’t have time for that”; “if only I had more time”; “there’s not enough hours in a day to get it done”; etc… We all have the same 24 hrs. It is just a matter of how we choose to spend them! Many of us are rushing from one meeting to the next. Meetings run over and you’re late for the next one… it seems you can never catch up. When you take “time” to break down your typical day to see how much energy you are spending on things that are not aligned… read more →
I was recently at a friend’s mom’s funeral and was moved by the eulogy and the remarks made by those at the service. It struck me as how little was said about the work she did. Many of us spend most of our lives working when you start to break it down… Begin at age 22 to ~65 (43 years!) What mattered most was to recount the many memories created over the years with family and friends. I thought about how I will want to be remembered and spoken about when it is my time… it is definitely more in the lines… read more →
I recently had my little boy totally melt down due to stress. He has multiple projects due at school with the deadlines looming before the holidays. It creeped up on him and he became totally overwhelmed. I suggested to him (in the middle of a tear-filled meltdown) that he choose to stay in from recess and work on one of the projects. He whined that he “needs“ recess and that wasn’t a good idea. I reminded him that he has basketball after school so he will still get physical activity for the day. When he got home from school, the meltdown continued… read more →
When you tend to resist what life is having you go through, it becomes harder with every moment. Consider the following two scenarios (based on true stories): 1. You are traveling overseas to get to a meeting. Your flight is cancelled that afternoon. You are frustrated, angry, struggling with how you are going to delay all your plans by one full day. There is no other flight that day to get you where you need to go. The next morning you get to the airport and find out your flight is delayed again… you may miss the connection for the… read more →
We make choices everyday on how we will spend our precious time here. Some of us have been called “workaholics”, others have been called ”adventurous”, “free-spirited”. Whatever, your title, is it how you want to be remembered? The first step to creating change in our life is to be aware of how we are spending our time and then deciding if we want to continue as is or choose another path. Think about your typical work day… I mean really THINK about it! Does it excite you? Fire you up? If not, what about it can you stop doing immediately and replace with something you want to… read more →
It’s summertime which translates to the well-deserved vacation time. The question is: will you put down your Blackberry long enough to jump in the water and swim with the kids? We all get so wrapped up with what’s going on in the office… Afraid we may miss something… Or better yet, feeling guilty that we are on vacation. A few thoughts to ponder: relax, you earned it! – vacation is the time to create beautiful memories for all of you – your work will still be there when you return – it’s rewarding for others to fill in while you are gone… Just take a breath,… read more →