Leadership: The Good, the Bad, and You

For simplicity’s sake, we can boil leadership down to: the good, the bad, and you. This is the first of three posts to cover all three. When the topic of leadership comes up, most people think first about “bad bosses” — they skip right over the good, to the bad. So here goes, I’ll use this first post to explore bad leadership. Really, is there anything left to write about bad leadership? I’ve been known to say that every problem within an organization can be tied back to a lack of ... Read more

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Stress Carriers

We all know one or two of them. They may be a friend, relative or co-worker. What they have in common is that they scatter stress like Tinkerbell scatters fairy dust. They are stress carriers. They often appear friendly and helpful, but they have a knack — and perhaps the intention — of making others feel inadequate or upset. They also are skillful at shifting their work or worries to others smoothly that you are left wondering how it happened. It is easy to recognize a stress ... Read more

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Stepping Out and Stepping Up for Opportunity

At 2am four years ago, I responded to a general post seeking volunteer tennis coaches. I was about to finish graduate school and had coached sporadically for seven years, so I thought this could be a fun, interim experience. For the next two hours, I emailed back and forth with Vi, the person who posted the ad. She had just started a new NGO that delivered tennis programming to kids who live on the Southside of Chicago. I naturally was curious about this person who was up so late at night ... Read more

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Beware the Lemmings

The lemming is a small rodent that mostly lives in the Arctic. Folklore has it that lemmings follow each other even when it results in their jumping off cliffs in what some describe as mass suicides. The lemming analogy is a cautionary tale for a “group think” mentality and can be applied to several situations in the workplace. New employees are more susceptible to becoming lemmings than others who are better informed. Frequently, an established worker volunteers to help the new person get ... Read more

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Words Left Unsaid

When I got married, Betsy (co-founder of Start Smart Career Center) gave me a piece of advice that I cherish because it has proven to be invaluable. She told me that the words I choose not to say to my husband are just as important as the words I do say to him. I could not have possibly appreciated the gravity of that statement at the time, but over five years later it is a motto I’ve come to live by in every aspect of my life. This concept may be easiest to understand in regards to ... Read more

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Don’t Settle for the Cheap Seats

There is going to be a meeting with the boss that will be held in the conference room. Unfortunately, the conference table isn’t large enough for all the managers to sit at the table. There are chairs placed around the perimeter of the room for overflow. The men wander in and take a seat at the table without giving it a second thought. They may try to decide where the boss will sit so they can choose their chair strategically. Some of the women seem uncertain about where to sit and ... Read more

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The Devil Doesn’t Need Advocates

We’ve all been there. The meeting has dragged on and on. It looks like the team has finally arrived at an action plan. Things are winding down, tasks are being assigned, and you are ready to pack up and get back to your real work. At that very moment, someone says, “Let me play devil’s advocate” and launches into a rehash of the previous discussion. Colleagues groan inwardly, everyone hoping the boss will dismiss this unnecessary showmanship. The concept of ... Read more

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Embrace the Unk Unks

It’s easy to say no. It takes up far less time and energy to take the easy way out. It may even be human nature to try to avoid the difficult, time consuming, challenging choices. However, very little is truly impossible. More importantly, you will never meet your potential or create something important by immediately refusing to take on big tasks and daunting projects. Think about it—what are your big picture goals or your personal moonshot? You won’t get there by being the person who ... Read more

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Spring Cleaning For Your Life

I recently came across an old letter from a woman who is now in her 90s. In it she mentioned she was in the middle of “spring cleaning.” She talked about taking rugs outside to sweep, washing windows and woodwork, and polishing furniture. She cleaned one room at a time, only moving to the next room when the previous room was finished. I doubt that few people today engage in actual spring cleaning. We have homes and environments that require less attention, and we have better ... Read more

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How to Avoid Presentation Arrogance

Most new professionals have had a course in public speaking or communication 101. If you took these courses, you know all about doing the prep work, using media selectively, and arriving early for your presentation. You have been coached in avoiding “ah” or “like” as filler, and in not using jokes unless they are culturally relevant and appropriate for the situation. You also have to be good at telling jokes (which few people are). What you may not have been taught ... Read more

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