Today is November 11th, which is a day known by different names ( Veterans Day, Remembrance Day, Poppy Day, Armistice Day, etc.) depending on where you are from as a day to remember all those in the armed forces who fought for our freedom. Thank you all for your service. Picture yourself getting together with a bunch of friends or family. At some point, you will probably hear a story or two about a recent event that happened to…
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Generally when people talk about “firsts” they refer to babies and toddlers. She got her first tooth today, she rolled over or she took her first steps. The truth is that you go through a million firsts in your lifetime though. First day of school, first time you go on a date, first time you drive, first job, etc. Each time you go through the next big “first” it brings a little anxiety, a bit of fear, but it also…
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How many of you have thought about changing jobs or looking for a whole new career? I think that we all consider it when we are having a bad day, but how many people actually do it? I will share with you a bit about my story. I worked at the same company for 20+ years and had created a good reputation for getting things done, bringing teams together and as a leader who was a good people developer. I…
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“You cannot be really first-rate at your work if your work is all you are.” – Anna Quindlen I saw this quote and it made me think about how much balance we have in our lives. In my past, I had been known to have some (okay more than some ) workaholic tendencies at times. This caused challenges when I had issues at work to deal with and my child was playing in a volleyball tournament. I know you are…
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It is the final game of the World Series tonight. The Chicago Cubs led for most of game 7 and then the Cleveland Indians tie it up 6-6 in the 8th inning, which forced them to go into extra innings. This could have caused the Cubs to wonder if they had it in them to come back from this adversity. Their usual closing pitcher is worn out due to all the pitches he has thrown over the last three days. Then…
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I am a big sports fan and wanted to share that two sports teams in Chicago had two big days this week. My Chicago Bears won on Monday Night Football. They have not had the best record this year, but I am happy that they did well and it helped me win in fantasy football this week. Tonight’s big event was seeing the Chicago Cubs Baseball team tie up the World Series! I am so excited for them and hopefully…
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Since it is Halloween, I thought it might be good to talk about things that are scary. No, I am not really talking about ghost and goblins, but what are the things that scare us and hold us back from moving forward? It is pretty common to be scared when you are trying something new. For example, I remember when I was little and I rode a bike without training wheels or swam in the deep end of the pool…
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I met a leader who was getting feedback from his manager at work that he was not being seen as authentic. I will call this leader Tom. I asked Tom some questions to better understand his perspective on the feedback. What did he think was holding him back from being an authentic leader? Is he trying to be what someone else wants him to be? Is he comparing himself to others and trying to be like them? Is he different…
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My very first team leader experience consisted of managing 3 direct reports and 20 indirect reports. Since this was a new experience for me, I asked for advice from some people who had been managing teams. What did they do to prepare themselves to lead a team? I pulled together their ideas and came up with my plan. I asked myself the following questions: What qualities did I want to emulate or reject from my previous leaders? What are my…
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When I first started out as a leader, I was much more directive than I should have been. I didn’t know another way to lead a team yet. Now many teams and many years later, I have learned that there is a much better way to lead. This style of leadership sets the vision for the organization, empowers the team and helps the team learn the skills they need to be successful. Being a leader who leverages coaching skills helps…
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