Letters on Sabbaticals: The Importance of Stepping Back-This is the beginning of a series of letters to a friend on how to sabbatical effectively. I share my strategies, successes and challenges, and insights I gleaned during this time. Even if you don’t have an extended period as she did, these tips should be helpful as you navigate periods of stepping away and […]
Living Through the Messy Middle of Our Life Transition-This is the first of MANY blogs on transitioning where we will share tips, skills, and experiences that helped us move through a very hard stage of life. Life transitions are hard, whether due to marriage, divorce, retirement, the death of a loved one, relocation, realizing a different calling from God, or any other scenario […]
How God Planted BONSAI-I’ve been asked many times, “How did you know when to start your business? What was that process of hearing from God like?” It was not a one-and-done moment. There were multiple ways God got my attention and helped me through the process — and He can and wants to do the same for you. […]
The Five C’s of Change: Consistency-This is the final post in our series on the Five C’s of Change, which includes four friends and one foe of change. In the previous installments, we explored Conviction, Courage, and Communication. Consistency results in credibility for leaders, but more importantly, it results in organizational efficiency and effectiveness for everyone. Of all the C’s, […]
The Five C’s of Change: Communication, Part 2-This is the second part of a post on Communication, part of our series on the Five C’s of Change, which includes four friends and one foe of change. In the previous installments, we explored Conviction and Courage. As I discussed last time, we must meet both the needs of the organization and the needs […]
The Five C’s of Change: Communication, Part 1-This is the third post in our series on the Five C’s of Change, which includes four friends and one foe of change. In the previous installments, we explored Conviction and Courage. Communication Sounds Easy, But Isn’t Communication is an action that appears so simple and obvious, yet it’s almost always what employees and leaders […]
The Five C’s of Change: Courage-This is the second post in our series on the Five C’s of Change, which includes four friends and one foe of change. In the first installment of this series, we explored Conviction which is essential in a change agent. In this blog, we will explore courage and how this plays out in organizational change. […]
Taking Action to Improve Return on Energy (ROE)-In our previous blog, we talked about the importance of return on energy and how proactively assessing ROE can help us be more intentional with our time. But we must do more than simply assess ROE — we also must take action to remove or shift things that don’t show a return. Acting on ROE […]
What’s Your Return on Energy (ROE)?-Many business leaders are familiar with the term ROI, or return on investment. But have you ever considered return on energy? It’s not a tangible thing you measure in the same way as business expenses or even time spent on a project, but it’s important. Bottom-line: How well you are assessing and managing your return […]
The Five C’s of Change: One Foe and Four Essential Friends-“You really care about what you do – I’m not a checkbox.” This was a compliment we recently received from a new client, and it felt SO good to hear. A big accomplishment, since I had been working very hard at being intentional with slowing down and enjoying time with clients. Last winter was quite […]
Coaching Tip: A Countdown Strand for Persevering-In the summer of 2020, my husband Patrick decided to “retire” from the VA and shift into full-time coaching with our business BONSAI. It was the early days of COVID, so you can imagine how difficult working at a hospital was. Even though they had very few cases, the stress was consuming. As we planned […]
Two-Way Street Thinking-Similar to the idea of a fixed versus growth mindset, our interactions can be one-way or two-way street interactions, with a focus mostly on ourselves or a focus on both sides of the interaction. What is your natural inclination? How often do we focus on these types of one-way thoughts: Getting our needs met at […]
5 Tips to Achieve Balance in Networking-Thankful for guest writer Dr. Hallie Thompson, Plant Biologist and Science Policy Consultant. Balance in networking When we think about and practice networking, most of us focus on the initiation of new relationships, but there’s more to it than that. Like so many things, it’s about balance. In this case, it’s a balance of initiating […]
Don’t Just Endure It, Embrace It-We moved three hours north to Iowa (from Missouri). While three hours doesn’t seem like far, it’s quite a dramatic change in terms of weather! But the biggest difference isn’t the weather itself, which everyone warned us about, but rather how people react to it. In Missouri, at least where I was, the cold snowy […]
Overcoming Weakness by Focusing on What Comes Naturally-One of many things clients love about using Gallup strengths is its positive focus on the value we do bring and enhancing what is good with us. We don’t ignore the weaknesses, which often are our lowest (sometimes called inferior) talent themes, but instead use our strengths to overcome them. Developing strategies for doing so […]
Projecting More Energy During Video Calls-Video calls can be draining. The experts even coined the phrase “Zoom fatigue” to describe it, and there are plenty of people who’ve bought into the idea that video calls are an awful experience. But that doesn’t have to be the case at all! We know that energy levels matter. When a leader projects positive […]
Using Video Calls to Develop Lasting Emotional Intelligence-Most of us have seen a dramatic increase in the number of video calls occurring in our daily lives recently. Whether you’re using Zoom, WebEx, GoTo Meeting, or some other video platform, you might have heard about “Zoom fatigue,” a term that experts have used to describe why video calls are so tiring. With all […]
Leadership and Sacrifice in a Time of Crisis – Part 2-When a business faces a crisis, whether brought on by a global pandemic or budget cuts or loss of a major revenue source, leaders may be asked to sacrifice some of their personal time or energy to help see the business through the crisis. But what happens when leaders resist that effort? Does the company […]
Leadership and Sacrifice in a Time of Crisis – Part 1-These are hard times for many, and sacrifice is taking many forms. There are healthcare providers and first responders who are potentially sacrificing their lives on the frontlines. There are some essential workers sacrificing time with their families to protect them from the risks they face every day and others sacrificing their income to do […]
Priorities, Permission and Promises-The last three months I have taken an unexpected hiatus from writing and have learned some key lessons around priorities, permission and promises. I anticipated reducing my workload in December to care for my husband as he recovered from hip surgery. I did not anticipate that the surgery everyone proclaimed as “no big deal” was […]
Time Management: The Snowball Principle, Compound Interest, and More-Ever heard the phrase, “Time is money?” Well, it is. And when it comes to time management, we can draw a lot of lessons from Dave Ramsey’s lessons on money management and getting out of debt. In a previous blog, we looked at managing time by first identifying priorities. Now we’re going to look at […]
Managing Your Time By First Identifying Your Priorities-This is the first of a two-part series. We have some friends practicing their “debt-free scream” for an upcoming appearance on the Dave Ramsey show on December 13. It’s an exciting thing for them! Hearing them talk about practicing that scream got me thinking… when is the last time that I heard somebody do the […]
When They Love Us, They Change Us-“Denver told me that faith-based organizations, government programs, and well-meaning individuals fed him and kept him alive for all those years on the streets, but it was the love of Miss Debbie that caused him to want to change his life.” – from the book, Same Kind of Different As Me. I recently read this […]
Belief: A Strength that Stays on Course-Belief is one of the misunderstood talent themes, both for individuals and for teams. People are sometimes in disbelief when it isn’t a top 10 Gallup strength for them, as many people feel they have strong beliefs and thus expect it to be on their list. Those who manage or lead people with high Belief […]
Prioritizing When Life Blows Up-Do you ever feel that crushing weight of “this is all too much?” I experienced this recently after a quick crescendo of competing priorities. It had been a week of long meetings and lots of potential new opportunities that left little room for important projects I wanted to do. I knew something needed to shift, […]
How Football Explains Strengths-Recently, I enjoyed reading Sal Paolantonio’s book “How Football Explains America.” And as I was reading, I realized that we can also use football to explain Gallup strengths and the various concepts. Here are seven applications I found: To improve your results: Subscribe to our exclusive quarterly newsletter to get the latest leadership expertise, engagement […]
Pursuit of a Calling: Introducing TakeFlight-The birth of a calling can seem mysterious because God’s ways are just that. As you’re finding your calling, you don’t have the privilege of looking back and seeing how it all connects. In this ongoing series of blogs, you will get a glimpse into this process and what we’ve learned about leadership, organizational development, […]
Flip It! Shift Your Role for an Eye-Opening Experience-How does my question make a customer feel? How do my employees receive and process my comments when I lead meetings? These are great questions to ask. But sometimes, it’s hard to get truthful answers — unless, you flip your situation. I find that people I work with often think they know what others are […]
Bold by Example: 4 Leadership Insights From a Bold Leader-What are the four attributes that can help make you a bolder leader? Visionary Communication/relationship-building skills Openness to input Willingness to learn To dig more into this (see my article in Young Upstarts for more details on these 4 attributes), I recently interviewed Valerie Zumwalt. She’s not only the founder of ShowMe Leaders and Executive […]
From the Classroom to the Office: 3 Ways to Ensure a Smooth Transition-When the phone rings, do you dread picking it up? Do you default to email and text when communicating? Does the thought of a face-to-face conversation make you nervous? You’re not alone. Approximately 15 million adults suffer from social anxiety, but in the workplace, interacting with others is critical. It allows employees to be productive […]
Help! My Manager Hates Me. Now What?-“He didn’t wish me ‘good morning.’” “He brought in Starbucks for my co-worker and not me.” “He generally scowls and grunts if I ask a question.” “The only time he comes near my desk is to go to the printer and grab some papers.” In other words: “I think my manager hates me, and it’s […]
You’ve Graduated! Now What? How to Make the Most of Your First Job-In my work with clients and in conversations with colleagues, I hear a lot of complaints about employees, but one of the most common ones is that Millennial workers have poor work ethic, lack initiative, and struggle to communicate effectively. And perhaps surprisingly, this frustration is often expressed by business owners and managers who are […]
When You Practice Vulnerability, You’ll Help Others Transform-“Vulnerability” is a polarizing word. Some people can open up to just about anyone without restraint, while others would sooner get a root canal than share their feelings. In business, vulnerability is important, particularly among leaders. Consider this: Often, while working with clients, I discover that convictions or fears hold workers back from leading and […]
Using Powerful Questions to Fight the Negative ‘What-Ifs’-This is the second in a series on becoming more innovative. The first blog focused on the culture, and this one and the next focus on you. While creating a culture of positive what-ifs and why-nots is crucial, the success of that transition starts with the leader being a positive role model. If you are […]
Creating a Culture of Positive What-Ifs and Why Nots-This blog post is the first of a two-part series on getting unstuck. This post focuses on organizations, and the next will focus on individuals. Is your organization defined by a “culture of stuck” where the conversation gets mired in all the negative what-ifs instead exclaiming “Why not? Let’s make this happen!” I recall when […]
Better Questions for More Learning-It’s funny how people think that when you have your own business things slow down in December. Quite the opposite, which made a presentation by Quyen Nguyen quite impactful a few weeks ago. Her words inspired me to slow down, ask more questions and really listen. One morning, I took Quyen’s advice. I decided not […]
Enabling Those with Focus Strength to Contribute More-Focus was one of the Gallup top 10 dominant strengths that I didn’t realize I had until I took the All 34 test and became a certified coach. My awareness of Focus being a strength of mine and the subsequent changes I made in how I do my work boosted my productivity 25 percent. In […]
Using Strengths to Break Through Walls of Frustration-This is a second blog in a series about how to explain your strengths to maximize impact. Last time we focused on interviewing, and here we will examine building a better relationship with your leader and co-workers. I recall a few years ago when I was in a first meeting with a client who was […]
How to Nail Your Next Interview-When I coach clients interviewing for jobs, one of the most common frustrations I hear is: “I hate to talk about myself.” Gallup Strengths provide a cure for that problem by shifting the focus from “why I am great” to “why I am the way I am.” I think this latter dialogue feels better because […]
Interdependence Yields Better Results-I was brought up to be fiercely independent – not needing to rely on anyone or anything. I think many people can relate to this because it is part of our culture of independence in America. Around 2010, JP Thompson – a student of mine, showed me how wrong my thinking had been and that […]
Resting Your Way to Productivity-In my office, I used to have a framed picture of an empty hammock on the beach with this quote at the bottom: The art of doing nothing is really something. I purchased it because I love beaches and hammocks without really thinking about the words written. I recall one day thinking, “When other managers […]
Up Close and Personal with Woo-I recently interviewed Hallie Thompson, who is about to receive her PhD in Plant Sciences and currently running for U.S. House of Representatives in Missouri, about her #1 strength, Woo. Gallup defines this strength as “loving the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over, deriving satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a […]
Woo – More Than a Cool Name!-I heard a persistent knock on our home door one Sunday. When I answered, I had to adjust my gaze down about 3 feet to find the visitor. Little Caleb greeted me with a “Hi! What’s going on?” and continued to banter with me for about 10 minutes, sharing tales of adventure — including breaking […]
Investing in Me and We-Thanks to Alex Sommer, Employment Branding Specialist at Nestle Purina North America, for contributing this article. In 2016, I started graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis – Loriana was my very first professor for a Building High Performance Work Teams class. She knows well that you can’t possibly build high-performing teams until you […]
Resolve to Check Baggage in 2018-I was reading Kevin Palau’s book Unlikely at the airport last week and thought a comment that the former mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, made in the foreword was insightful. Before meeting with Kevin Palau (minister and president of the Luis Palau Association), the mayor said he felt weary, had negative assumptions about the other […]
The Good, the Bad and the Grey Area-In the last year, I have noticed an increased polarization in thinking. Employees are often judging others as either all good or all bad vs. an ability to see shades of grey. This is concerning because it suggests that people are viewed as either extremely flawed or flawless, neither of which is usually anywhere near […]
Sharing Our Gratitude-As Thanksgiving approaches, a flood of people come to mind whose actions or words have positively affected me. While Thanksgiving is often focused on the important 3F’s of the holiday, food, family and football (to quote a family member), it is also a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what we are thankful for. While I […]
Speed of Confession-How quickly do you confess when you mess up? During lunch today with a leader I highly respect, I realized that speed is an important component to admitting mistakes. The conversation centered around, “How do you share a mistake in a way that will save face?” My suggestion was to reframe that question into, “How […]
Change Your Energy, Change Your Influence-Energy, or lack thereof, is something we all bring to any situation. I am not sure, however, we are always in tune with its powerful impact. It’s like a ceiling fan. The speed can be so low that the fan isn’t noticed. Or, it may be cranked up, scattering anything that isn’t nailed down. Where […]
Your Speed Might Be Limiting You-How intentional are you with the speed at which you think, work, or talk? Our pace can directly impact our effectiveness and how others perceive us (and vice versa). Managing our speed is a way to increase our emotional intelligence. I will take the next few blogs to examine this issue. People make judgments based […]
The Power of Looking Back-Wait, did I really write that title? My #2 strength is futuristic (looking ahead) and context (viewing history as helpful for learning) is at the bottom of my list at #33. I also have activator as #1, which means I am all about forward movement. So, this topic must be uber-important for me to write […]
Finding Joy in the Journey-Do you ever find yourself moving through your list quickly and efficiently, but despite getting a lot done, you aren’t enjoying the work that should bring you pleasure? That was my “aha” moment earlier this month. Late summer is a busy time for many people – school restarting, businesses eager to get a lot done […]
Are You Wearing the Right Hat?-We all wear many hats within our family, community and organizations. Sometimes we find ourselves wearing multiple hats at once, and that usually isn’t a good look. Nor is it always effective. Let’s examine how we can be more intentional about our hat selections to get better performance. To improve your results: Subscribe to our […]
INTELLECTION – How to develop and leverage this strength-I am fascinated how Gallup’s Intellection talent theme is often underutilized by those who possess it and misunderstood by those who do not. Today’s blog will improve the effectiveness of both groups. Let’s start with Gallup’s definition of Intellection: People especially talented in this theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and […]
Celebrate Independence By Practicing It-The upcoming Independence Day has me thinking about how independent we are as Americans (which I am proud to be). And so, it makes sense that an engaged workplace is where we want to work. That’s where we are free to determine our “how” (the process for getting our work done) when given the “what” […]
Busting myths on Gallup Strengths-My views on Gallup Strengths Finder have recently changed after an intensive certification training and extensive use with clients. The statements below are heard widely in the coaching world, and I used to believe some of these myths, too! 1) All you need are your Top 5 Strengths. I had heard (and even used to […]
Networking for geeks and problem-solvers-One of the hardest parts of networking for my clients is the initial approach. Once engaged in conversation, they are fine. But the thought of those first few moments when they have to muster the courage to approach and say something to generate dialogue is when fear sets in. Clients tell me that they stress […]
Letters on Sabbaticals: The Importance of Stepping Back - This is the beginning of a series of letters to a friend on how to sabbatical effectively. I share my strategies, successes and challenges, and insights I gleaned during this time. Even if you don’t have an extended period as she did, these tips should be helpful as you navigate periods of stepping away and […]
Living Through the Messy Middle of Our Life Transition - This is the first of MANY blogs on transitioning where we will share tips, skills, and experiences that helped us move through a very hard stage of life. Life transitions are hard, whether due to marriage, divorce, retirement, the death of a loved one, relocation, realizing a different calling from God, or any other scenario […]
How God Planted BONSAI - I’ve been asked many times, “How did you know when to start your business? What was that process of hearing from God like?” It was not a one-and-done moment. There were multiple ways God got my attention and helped me through the process — and He can and wants to do the same for you. […]
The Five C’s of Change: Consistency - This is the final post in our series on the Five C’s of Change, which includes four friends and one foe of change. In the previous installments, we explored Conviction, Courage, and Communication. Consistency results in credibility for leaders, but more importantly, it results in organizational efficiency and effectiveness for everyone. Of all the C’s, […]
The Five C’s of Change: Communication, Part 2 - This is the second part of a post on Communication, part of our series on the Five C’s of Change, which includes four friends and one foe of change. In the previous installments, we explored Conviction and Courage. As I discussed last time, we must meet both the needs of the organization and the needs […]
The Five C’s of Change: Courage - This is the second post in our series on the Five C’s of Change, which includes four friends and one foe of change. In the first installment of this series, we explored Conviction which is essential in a change agent. In this blog, we will explore courage and how this plays out in organizational change. […]
Taking Action to Improve Return on Energy (ROE) - In our previous blog, we talked about the importance of return on energy and how proactively assessing ROE can help us be more intentional with our time. But we must do more than simply assess ROE — we also must take action to remove or shift things that don’t show a return. Acting on ROE […]
The Five C’s of Change: One Foe and Four Essential Friends - “You really care about what you do – I’m not a checkbox.” This was a compliment we recently received from a new client, and it felt SO good to hear. A big accomplishment, since I had been working very hard at being intentional with slowing down and enjoying time with clients. Last winter was quite […]
Coaching Tip: A Countdown Strand for Persevering - In the summer of 2020, my husband Patrick decided to “retire” from the VA and shift into full-time coaching with our business BONSAI. It was the early days of COVID, so you can imagine how difficult working at a hospital was. Even though they had very few cases, the stress was consuming. As we planned […]
Two-Way Street Thinking - Similar to the idea of a fixed versus growth mindset, our interactions can be one-way or two-way street interactions, with a focus mostly on ourselves or a focus on both sides of the interaction. What is your natural inclination? How often do we focus on these types of one-way thoughts: Getting our needs met at […]
5 Tips to Achieve Balance in Networking - Thankful for guest writer Dr. Hallie Thompson, Plant Biologist and Science Policy Consultant. Balance in networking When we think about and practice networking, most of us focus on the initiation of new relationships, but there’s more to it than that. Like so many things, it’s about balance. In this case, it’s a balance of initiating […]
Don’t Just Endure It, Embrace It - We moved three hours north to Iowa (from Missouri). While three hours doesn’t seem like far, it’s quite a dramatic change in terms of weather! But the biggest difference isn’t the weather itself, which everyone warned us about, but rather how people react to it. In Missouri, at least where I was, the cold snowy […]
Overcoming Weakness by Focusing on What Comes Naturally - One of many things clients love about using Gallup strengths is its positive focus on the value we do bring and enhancing what is good with us. We don’t ignore the weaknesses, which often are our lowest (sometimes called inferior) talent themes, but instead use our strengths to overcome them. Developing strategies for doing so […]
Projecting More Energy During Video Calls - Video calls can be draining. The experts even coined the phrase “Zoom fatigue” to describe it, and there are plenty of people who’ve bought into the idea that video calls are an awful experience. But that doesn’t have to be the case at all! We know that energy levels matter. When a leader projects positive […]
Leadership and Sacrifice in a Time of Crisis – Part 2 - When a business faces a crisis, whether brought on by a global pandemic or budget cuts or loss of a major revenue source, leaders may be asked to sacrifice some of their personal time or energy to help see the business through the crisis. But what happens when leaders resist that effort? Does the company […]
Priorities, Permission and Promises - The last three months I have taken an unexpected hiatus from writing and have learned some key lessons around priorities, permission and promises. I anticipated reducing my workload in December to care for my husband as he recovered from hip surgery. I did not anticipate that the surgery everyone proclaimed as “no big deal” was […]
Time Management: The Snowball Principle, Compound Interest, and More - Ever heard the phrase, “Time is money?” Well, it is. And when it comes to time management, we can draw a lot of lessons from Dave Ramsey’s lessons on money management and getting out of debt. In a previous blog, we looked at managing time by first identifying priorities. Now we’re going to look at […]
When They Love Us, They Change Us - “Denver told me that faith-based organizations, government programs, and well-meaning individuals fed him and kept him alive for all those years on the streets, but it was the love of Miss Debbie that caused him to want to change his life.” – from the book, Same Kind of Different As Me. I recently read this […]
Belief: A Strength that Stays on Course - Belief is one of the misunderstood talent themes, both for individuals and for teams. People are sometimes in disbelief when it isn’t a top 10 Gallup strength for them, as many people feel they have strong beliefs and thus expect it to be on their list. Those who manage or lead people with high Belief […]
Prioritizing When Life Blows Up - Do you ever feel that crushing weight of “this is all too much?” I experienced this recently after a quick crescendo of competing priorities. It had been a week of long meetings and lots of potential new opportunities that left little room for important projects I wanted to do. I knew something needed to shift, […]
How Football Explains Strengths - Recently, I enjoyed reading Sal Paolantonio’s book “How Football Explains America.” And as I was reading, I realized that we can also use football to explain Gallup strengths and the various concepts. Here are seven applications I found: To improve your results: Subscribe to our exclusive quarterly newsletter to get the latest leadership expertise, engagement […]
Pursuit of a Calling: Introducing TakeFlight - The birth of a calling can seem mysterious because God’s ways are just that. As you’re finding your calling, you don’t have the privilege of looking back and seeing how it all connects. In this ongoing series of blogs, you will get a glimpse into this process and what we’ve learned about leadership, organizational development, […]
Flip It! Shift Your Role for an Eye-Opening Experience - How does my question make a customer feel? How do my employees receive and process my comments when I lead meetings? These are great questions to ask. But sometimes, it’s hard to get truthful answers — unless, you flip your situation. I find that people I work with often think they know what others are […]
Bold by Example: 4 Leadership Insights From a Bold Leader - What are the four attributes that can help make you a bolder leader? Visionary Communication/relationship-building skills Openness to input Willingness to learn To dig more into this (see my article in Young Upstarts for more details on these 4 attributes), I recently interviewed Valerie Zumwalt. She’s not only the founder of ShowMe Leaders and Executive […]
From the Classroom to the Office: 3 Ways to Ensure a Smooth Transition - When the phone rings, do you dread picking it up? Do you default to email and text when communicating? Does the thought of a face-to-face conversation make you nervous? You’re not alone. Approximately 15 million adults suffer from social anxiety, but in the workplace, interacting with others is critical. It allows employees to be productive […]
Help! My Manager Hates Me. Now What? - “He didn’t wish me ‘good morning.’” “He brought in Starbucks for my co-worker and not me.” “He generally scowls and grunts if I ask a question.” “The only time he comes near my desk is to go to the printer and grab some papers.” In other words: “I think my manager hates me, and it’s […]
When You Practice Vulnerability, You’ll Help Others Transform - “Vulnerability” is a polarizing word. Some people can open up to just about anyone without restraint, while others would sooner get a root canal than share their feelings. In business, vulnerability is important, particularly among leaders. Consider this: Often, while working with clients, I discover that convictions or fears hold workers back from leading and […]
Using Powerful Questions to Fight the Negative ‘What-Ifs’ - This is the second in a series on becoming more innovative. The first blog focused on the culture, and this one and the next focus on you. While creating a culture of positive what-ifs and why-nots is crucial, the success of that transition starts with the leader being a positive role model. If you are […]
Creating a Culture of Positive What-Ifs and Why Nots - This blog post is the first of a two-part series on getting unstuck. This post focuses on organizations, and the next will focus on individuals. Is your organization defined by a “culture of stuck” where the conversation gets mired in all the negative what-ifs instead exclaiming “Why not? Let’s make this happen!” I recall when […]
Better Questions for More Learning - It’s funny how people think that when you have your own business things slow down in December. Quite the opposite, which made a presentation by Quyen Nguyen quite impactful a few weeks ago. Her words inspired me to slow down, ask more questions and really listen. One morning, I took Quyen’s advice. I decided not […]
Enabling Those with Focus Strength to Contribute More - Focus was one of the Gallup top 10 dominant strengths that I didn’t realize I had until I took the All 34 test and became a certified coach. My awareness of Focus being a strength of mine and the subsequent changes I made in how I do my work boosted my productivity 25 percent. In […]
Using Strengths to Break Through Walls of Frustration - This is a second blog in a series about how to explain your strengths to maximize impact. Last time we focused on interviewing, and here we will examine building a better relationship with your leader and co-workers. I recall a few years ago when I was in a first meeting with a client who was […]
How to Nail Your Next Interview - When I coach clients interviewing for jobs, one of the most common frustrations I hear is: “I hate to talk about myself.” Gallup Strengths provide a cure for that problem by shifting the focus from “why I am great” to “why I am the way I am.” I think this latter dialogue feels better because […]
Interdependence Yields Better Results - I was brought up to be fiercely independent – not needing to rely on anyone or anything. I think many people can relate to this because it is part of our culture of independence in America. Around 2010, JP Thompson – a student of mine, showed me how wrong my thinking had been and that […]
Resting Your Way to Productivity - In my office, I used to have a framed picture of an empty hammock on the beach with this quote at the bottom: The art of doing nothing is really something. I purchased it because I love beaches and hammocks without really thinking about the words written. I recall one day thinking, “When other managers […]
Up Close and Personal with Woo - I recently interviewed Hallie Thompson, who is about to receive her PhD in Plant Sciences and currently running for U.S. House of Representatives in Missouri, about her #1 strength, Woo. Gallup defines this strength as “loving the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over, deriving satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a […]
Woo – More Than a Cool Name! - I heard a persistent knock on our home door one Sunday. When I answered, I had to adjust my gaze down about 3 feet to find the visitor. Little Caleb greeted me with a “Hi! What’s going on?” and continued to banter with me for about 10 minutes, sharing tales of adventure — including breaking […]
Investing in Me and We - Thanks to Alex Sommer, Employment Branding Specialist at Nestle Purina North America, for contributing this article. In 2016, I started graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis – Loriana was my very first professor for a Building High Performance Work Teams class. She knows well that you can’t possibly build high-performing teams until you […]
Resolve to Check Baggage in 2018 - I was reading Kevin Palau’s book Unlikely at the airport last week and thought a comment that the former mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, made in the foreword was insightful. Before meeting with Kevin Palau (minister and president of the Luis Palau Association), the mayor said he felt weary, had negative assumptions about the other […]
The Good, the Bad and the Grey Area - In the last year, I have noticed an increased polarization in thinking. Employees are often judging others as either all good or all bad vs. an ability to see shades of grey. This is concerning because it suggests that people are viewed as either extremely flawed or flawless, neither of which is usually anywhere near […]
Sharing Our Gratitude - As Thanksgiving approaches, a flood of people come to mind whose actions or words have positively affected me. While Thanksgiving is often focused on the important 3F’s of the holiday, food, family and football (to quote a family member), it is also a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what we are thankful for. While I […]
Speed of Confession - How quickly do you confess when you mess up? During lunch today with a leader I highly respect, I realized that speed is an important component to admitting mistakes. The conversation centered around, “How do you share a mistake in a way that will save face?” My suggestion was to reframe that question into, “How […]
Change Your Energy, Change Your Influence - Energy, or lack thereof, is something we all bring to any situation. I am not sure, however, we are always in tune with its powerful impact. It’s like a ceiling fan. The speed can be so low that the fan isn’t noticed. Or, it may be cranked up, scattering anything that isn’t nailed down. Where […]
Your Speed Might Be Limiting You - How intentional are you with the speed at which you think, work, or talk? Our pace can directly impact our effectiveness and how others perceive us (and vice versa). Managing our speed is a way to increase our emotional intelligence. I will take the next few blogs to examine this issue. People make judgments based […]
The Power of Looking Back - Wait, did I really write that title? My #2 strength is futuristic (looking ahead) and context (viewing history as helpful for learning) is at the bottom of my list at #33. I also have activator as #1, which means I am all about forward movement. So, this topic must be uber-important for me to write […]
Finding Joy in the Journey - Do you ever find yourself moving through your list quickly and efficiently, but despite getting a lot done, you aren’t enjoying the work that should bring you pleasure? That was my “aha” moment earlier this month. Late summer is a busy time for many people – school restarting, businesses eager to get a lot done […]
Are You Wearing the Right Hat? - We all wear many hats within our family, community and organizations. Sometimes we find ourselves wearing multiple hats at once, and that usually isn’t a good look. Nor is it always effective. Let’s examine how we can be more intentional about our hat selections to get better performance. To improve your results: Subscribe to our […]
INTELLECTION – How to develop and leverage this strength - I am fascinated how Gallup’s Intellection talent theme is often underutilized by those who possess it and misunderstood by those who do not. Today’s blog will improve the effectiveness of both groups. Let’s start with Gallup’s definition of Intellection: People especially talented in this theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and […]
Celebrate Independence By Practicing It - The upcoming Independence Day has me thinking about how independent we are as Americans (which I am proud to be). And so, it makes sense that an engaged workplace is where we want to work. That’s where we are free to determine our “how” (the process for getting our work done) when given the “what” […]
Busting myths on Gallup Strengths - My views on Gallup Strengths Finder have recently changed after an intensive certification training and extensive use with clients. The statements below are heard widely in the coaching world, and I used to believe some of these myths, too! 1) All you need are your Top 5 Strengths. I had heard (and even used to […]
Networking for geeks and problem-solvers - One of the hardest parts of networking for my clients is the initial approach. Once engaged in conversation, they are fine. But the thought of those first few moments when they have to muster the courage to approach and say something to generate dialogue is when fear sets in. Clients tell me that they stress […]
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