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The Leadership Vacuum: What to Do When Your Ship Has No Captain
Throughout my 25-year career, I’ve witnessed quite a few leadership vacuums. It’s what happens when a team lacks clear, accountable leadership or chain of command. Sometimes it’s a physical absence where leadership unexpectedly resigns or retreats with poor succession planning in place. But sometimes, it’s a much slower burn where leadership might technically be present,…
What to Do Before Joining a Board
You’ve received that coveted invitation that perhaps you’ve been waiting on. The CEO or Board Chair of an organization has reached out to invite you to join their board. A board of directors provides governance and guides business operations for organizations, strategizing and holding them accountable for reaching their goals. The role of most boards…
What I Said Isn’t What You Heard: How to Close the Gap Between Intent and Impact
Most of us have a tendency to get defensive when our intentions are put into question — “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” or “You’re hearing me wrong, what I actually meant was….” Somewhere along the line, probably when we were children, many of us learned that if our intentions were “pure,” we could…
How to Increase Your Tolerance for Uncertainty
So many aspects of life are uncertain. Although 2022 has made us more intensely aware of this reality than ever before, humanity has dealt with this truth again and again throughout history. In addition to being distressing, this sort of post-trauma awareness — a 24/7 fight-or-flight response — can leave us feeling paralyzed, making us…
The Thin Line that Separates Confidence & Ego
The pandemic has thrown us off-kilter in so many ways — work environments, values, goals, and even personality traits have shifted, perhaps out of what was once the status quo. While I believe many of us have moved beyond the misconception that confidence and ego are the same, we still may be unclear about the…
Should I Accept a New Job Offer or Stay with the One I Have?
Several friends and colleagues have reached out to me lately, looking for advice to help them answer an important question: “Should I accept a new job offer or stay with the one I have?” As the Great Resignation (or the Great Reshuffle) continues, almost 50% of workers are looking for another job. From my perspective,…
The Earned Life: How To Align Your Work With Your Meaning
An ancient Japanese philosophy, “ikigai,” embodies a concept that is prominent in Western culture: follow your joy. Ikigai refers to your reason for being or your bliss. It occurs when roads collide – both personal and professional – to find your sense of purpose. By doing so, you live your life feeling free from regret. …