Don’t turn me in. I am an Impostor!

I heard an interesting podcast today on the subject of being an impostor.  This is something that many people feel throughout their career.  Here are some of the questions that go through an impostor’s mind: “What if people find out I don’t know everything that I should?  What if they realize I am not ready for this role and they shouldn’t have given me the job?”   Does this sound like you? Surprisingly this happens to many high potential people, especially…
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Want to be more productive? Block time on your calendar.

During this time of year, parents all over the country are getting up at 4:30 am in the morning on the weekends to drive their children to all-day regional volleyball tournaments.  Some people even fly out of state for the national tournaments.  This didn’t really exist when I was younger, or at least I didn’t know about it.  Both of my girls were a part of club volleyball for about 5 years.  At times my husband and I would have…
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What Do You Need To Do To Get The New Job?

  Are you about to go for a job interview?   Many people that I used to work with are going through the job interview process now.  They haven’t had to interview for years and have some anxiety about the process as you might expect.   Here are some tips that I would share with anyone going through the interview experience. The first thing to do is to get to know yourself.    What are your values, strengths, opportunities and accomplishments?   You will…
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Are You Ready to Dream Big?

My husband and I went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) tonight.  If you haven’t heard of them before, they are a group of singers, musicians, songwriters and storytellers that tour at Christmas time.   They have been playing rock music with a combination of art, stories and visual effects for the past 21 years.  They play some traditional Christmas music, as well as their own songs.   Many of the songs are so great that they don’t even require lyrics or…
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Don’t Know What To Do? Follow This Advice!

Have you been in a situation at work that you are unsure of what to do?  I am sure that this has happened to you in your career at some point along the way.  It is a vulnerable place to be as a leader feeling like you should have all the answers.  Although you are in the leadership role for what you know and what you can get done, it is just not possible for you to know everything.   I…
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Building Authentic Connections One Day At A Time

For simplification reasons, I recently moved some of my accounts to a different bank that is near where I live.  I noticed immediately that when I walked into the bank I was greeted by a person seated near the entrance.  They asked me how I was doing, what my name was, how could they help me and offered me a coffee or a water.  Was I really at a bank?  Then they walked me to the office of the person…
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Are You Celebrating the Wins of the Team?

I posted a big milestone last night that I had reached with my blog.   I haven’t always been really good at celebrating my own wins.  I downplayed them in the past as just being part of my job.  I have learned that it is a good thing to take a moment and celebrate the wins…no matter how big they are.   It helps to provide the perspective of what you have accomplished along the journey of your career. However, when it…
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Do I Have to Become a Strategic Thinker?

As a leader, spending time thinking is one of the most important things you can do.  You are responsible for where the organization is going, how the team is working together to get their goals accomplished and developing them to their full potential.   That doesn’t even count all of the other administrative things that must get done and the constant alignment up and down the organization that is required. If you look at that list it is easy to get…
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Do you Want to Build a Snowman?

  Christmas is officially on the way.   We put up the decorations in the house, baked some holiday chocolate chip cookies and then it snowed about 5 inches throughout the day and night.   I may be in the minority here, but I totally love the first snowfall.  There is nothing better than when you can just watch it as it comes down which turns everything white.  One of my favorite things is when you first walk outside in the snow…
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Lessons to Share With My Younger Self

Have you ever thought about what kind of advice you would give to your younger self?    The advice could be about relationships, career and just life in general.  There is a whole long list of things that I would share with my younger self if I could.  I guess this is why they say “if I could only go back in time with what I know now.”  Would your current experiences, education, and knowledge help you make better decisions and…
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