I was reviewing my list of values from an assessment I took about a year ago. I always find it interesting to go back and look at what the results were at that time and if they still resonate with me. Here are my top 5 values: Helping Others Succeed, Learning/Knowledge, Coaching, Customer Service and Problem Solving. Anyone who knows me should not be surprised by this list at all. It is absolutely who I am and how I live…
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The beauty of having a diverse team is that each person brings different experiences to their unique roles. They also have different perspectives and leadership styles. As the leader, you need to find the best way to motivate the team to accomplish the goals. So how do you do that? This was my dilemma about 16 years ago. I had a team that was made up of internal employees, external contractors, differing levels of expertise and different leadership styles. Did…
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CONGRATULATIONS to the Chicago Cubs on winning the National League Division Series! Four very exciting baseball games occurred against the San Francisco Giants which led to the win. I was thinking about all the work that the Chicago Cubs Organization put in place to get to this point. Tough decisions about who to keep on the team and negotiations to identify other players who would bring the team together to give them the chance to win. It is exciting to…
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You just started working in a new role or at a new company. You are excited about the possibilities of your new role and meeting new people. Based on your experience you can see a lot of opportunities that need to be addressed. Where do you begin? Here are three steps to take in order to set yourself up for success. Listen, Observe and Ask Questions. Meet with your staff, key stakeholders, and management to understand the current state of…
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I remember when I first became a leader of a team. I went to a training class for three days to learn how to be a leader. I learned a lot of things at that first session, but I didn’t have a whole lot of real life experience to apply at that point. However, I took those lessons to heart and began to lead my first team. Even though I tried really hard, I made many mistakes along the way. …
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It is great to be humble and modest, but there comes a time that you need to self-promote. Remember that you were hired for a reason. You have knowledge that others do not have and details that could make a difference in decisions that your management needs to know. Just start by interjecting a comment about what you are working on in a meeting, asking a question that shows you have thought about the conversation or sending a status report…
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Over the last few months I have been trying out a bullet journal to plan my business and my life. I had originally looked at this about a year ago on bulletjournal.com, but I never pursued using it. In June of this year, I somehow ran across an article talking about a woman using a bullet journal in a pretty creative way. I remembered that I had looked at it before, so I checked out her you tube videos. Her…
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I came across an article by Amanda Johnson called “The Common Misconceptions of Perfectionism.” I totally agree with the myths of perfectionism that are highlighted in this article. Why do we feel that we aren’t already perfect? Why do we think that things have to be done in a certain way? I used to try to be “superwoman” by working a lot of hours, trying to do everything at home and getting very little sleep. I was actually proud of…
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There are so many people with so much anxiety in their lives. Some of it is their career or job that they chose and it may not be what they expected. Some of it may come in their personal lives by trying to keep up with everyone else, issues in their relationships or financial struggles. I even see it from kids in high school and college. They feel that they have to get the best grades, go to the best…
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I just watched the season premiere of Madam Secretary tonight. It is absolutely one of my favorite shows! I love the character of Elizabeth McCord who is the Secretary of State of the United States played by the actress Tea Leoni. She has a tough job to do as she is navigating the politics that surrounds her, managing up (imagine if the President was your boss?), staying connected with what is going on, having a good staff that she had…
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