Self-Checkout and Herd Mentality Do you remember when self-checkout became an option at stores like Wal-Mart? It started with just a couple of lanes dedicated to customers scanning their own purchases and eventually got to the point we’re at now with far more self-checkout stations than cashier-led options. For a while, I saw others’ negative […]

Every year in December, I enjoy the many social media posts of appreciation and recognition from leaders to their team members. Business owners, C-suite leaders, directors, managers, and supervisors post pictures and praise for the hard work, the dedication, and the exceptional results their teams achieved over the course of the year. Posts of praise […]

The Notoriety of ‘If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It’ “That’s how we’ve always done it.” A stance that’s notorious for being the most dangerous one in business. A stance that’s been shared with distaste five times with as many of my clients in the past month.

Danny Tanner and Man Behind the Character Until the beginning of this year, anytime Bob Saget’s name came up, I’d think of my early adult years. Danny Tanner, Bob Saget’s character on Full House, was on in the background of my home frequently back in those days. In January, though, when he unexpectedly passed away, […]

The ‘New’ Phenomenon The concept of quiet quitting has gotten a lot of airtime in recent months. In its simplest form, quiet quitting is the practice of doing the bare minimum at work and nothing more. When I began reading about this ‘new’ phenomenon, it felt eerily familiar to me. Then I remembered the Seinfeld […]

The Ideal Situation Read any article or book about effective leadership, and you’ll find exceptional listening and clear communication to be two tips offered. It makes sense, right? When your team member comes to you with a challenge, the best thing you can do is listen. Without interrupting. Without chiming in with solutions. Then when […]

The Letter of Resignation You Never Expected Perhaps you’ve seen this quote attributed to Tim McClure on social media: “The biggest concern for any organization should be when their most passionate people become quiet.” Sometimes it happens over the course of time, and you don’t even notice it. That is, until the day that passionate […]

Showing Up as a Stressed Leader I’d been working with Adam for a month when he described a situation that had his stress level at an all-time high. As Director of Operations at a rapidly growing company, Adam is ambitious, goal-driven, willing to take risks, and organized. When I was initially hired by Adam’s employer […]

Lack of Accountability: It’s Not a Good Look I recently had a poor experience with a company I hired to complete a project. Over our three-month engagement, I repeatedly felt pushed aside and insignificant. The company’s phone system sends its customers straight to voicemail, and after leaving messages on several occasions, I never received a […]

The Common Theme That’s Far Too Common I noticed a theme in three recent conversations. Convo 1 was with a client who shared she feels like she’ll never “catch up”. She works 60 – 70 hours each week, and in her long workdays, she rarely gets up from her desk to take a break of […]

The Normalization of Feelings “I’m okay. I’m not scared. I’m brave.” I smiled hearing those words from my four-year-old granddaughter as I tucked her into bed on a recent Saturday night. I’d turned the lamp on low, surrounded her with stuffed animals she’d brought from home, kissed her, and asked if she was okay. And […]

What-If Questions and the Choices We Make What-if questions are never scarce on social media. They give you the space to ponder decisions you’d make in various, unlikely circumstances: If you had a superpower, which one would you want, and why? If you won the lottery, would you keep working your current job, give most […]

As 2021 winds down, it seems like the perfect time for some reflection. In my work with leaders, I have found most are at either end of a wide spectrum. Some go the route of completely chilling out and relaxing after the hard work they’ve put in all year. Others choose not to extinguish the […]

Compassion is a Must-Have As part of my own professional development, I joined a group focused on relationship building. The coach who leads the group recently asked us to share a message of who and how we help. I shared my message: I help evolving leaders build a motivated, effective team by embracing not only […]

A New Kind of Ghost As a young girl, I was used to hearing about ghosts in the month of October. Of course, right? Skeletons, goblins, jack-o-lanterns, and ghosts. They’re all part of the scariness and fun of Halloween. In recent years, though, ghosting has taken on a new meaning. It first made its presence […]

Ordinary Joe and Parallel Stories I’ve become obsessed after only two episodes of the new NBC show Ordinary Joe. In it, the main character Joe has three choices in front of him on his college graduation day: spend the day with Amy, a girl he just met; spend it with Jenny, a girl he’s known […]

The Tweet That Got Me Thinking Dan Price, CEO of Gravity Payments, recently tweeted: “An Ohio factory raised pay from $13.70 to $18.25. Its staff grew 35%. Profit doubled. The extra labor helped them fill more orders. After I doubled minimum wage at our company, our revenue tripled. Invest in your employees, and your business […]

The Joy of Harmonious Dialogue You know the feeling of talking with someone and realizing in the course of the conversation that you and that other person ‘get’ each other? You speak the same language, have like values, and see the world in similar ways. I got to experience that feeling recently when I ran […]

The Devil is in the Details The line was 15 people deep outside the DMV when I arrived to renew my license and get my REAL ID. According to the paperwork I’d received from the Secretary of State, Illinois residents will need the REAL ID to board domestic flights beginning October 1, 2021. I’d spent […]

Making decisions was once a kid’s game. As summer draws near, my mind goes to the carefree summers I enjoyed as a kid. For those three months from sunup to sundown, my siblings, neighborhood friends, and I would create nonstop fun from one back yard to the next. One of our favorite summertime games was […]

It’s a Zoom world we live in. I joined a Zoom meeting along with 67 other professionals last week. Tiny Brady Bunch squares popped up all over my computer screen, most of them with a simple first name to represent who was ‘behind’ the square. Only a handful of faces looked back at me. The […]

The Superhero in the Lego Bucket When my first grandson was born 10 years ago, our toy collection was quite small. Just a few stray toys from my own kids that I’d never managed to donate all those years ago. A decade later, that toy collection has grown quite a bit as has the number […]

Gifts from the Universe It seems the older I get, the more I notice the gifts the Universe provides for me. Case in point—One day last week I saw the following quote on social media: “A ship is safe in a harbor, but that is not what ships are built for.” This comes from the […]

The scene was set. I saw the running. I heard the honks. I felt the energy. But I still wasn’t sure what was happening. The action was about a block and a half down the road along my daily walking route. With my less-than-stellar vision, I could see two girls, one running and one zipping […]

2020. A year that will go down in infamy. In the year 2100, kids who are currently five years old will be telling their great grandkids about remote learning, masks, and the vaccine that turned things around (fingers crossed). It’s true this isn’t the year any of us imagined when we celebrated on January 1. […]

The Love Language Phenomenon The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman has been around since 1992 and has sold over 12 million copies. That means for almost 30 years people have not only been learning about their own preferred language when it comes to love; they’ve also been encouraging their partners to take the quiz so […]

As a student, English was one of my favorite subjects. I enjoyed learning about grammar and fondly remember diagramming sentences in fourth grade. Those memories came rushing back recently when a client told me, “I used a period, not a comma, and it was incredible!” She wasn’t talking about English class, though. She was talking […]

Saying goodbye to summer seemed to be easy for many this year. I’m not sure if it’s the desire to scoot 2020 along as fast as we can with the hope that 2021 will bring blessings this year hasn’t or if it’s just that I’m around more people who prefer pumpkin spice lattes to the […]

Sure, the negative effects are there. COVID-19 is responsible for many negative effects that we’re reminded of daily in what seems like an auto-repeat format. On TV, the radio, and online as well as communication from friends, family, and colleagues, the talk of COVID and everything horrible about it is anything but scarce. But does […]

This year is a year for leaders to shine. You can shine, too. The year 2020 is a year many may want to forget. I believe 2020 is a year for leaders to shine. It’s a year where leaders have even more opportunity to grow their leadership abilities. A year where leaders can show their […]

How to become an effective leader starts with your containers. I have a confession to make. I am obsessed with containers. Big or small, round or square, plastic or metal—they fascinate me. I’ve always attributed this obsession to my need to be well-organized. After all, who doesn’t enjoy opening the pantry door and seeing crackers, […]

A new darkness has come over the world, it seems. A darkness that brings with it uncertainty, fear, anger, sadness, and impatience. And yet in the midst of the darkness, some normalcy remains for there is still work to accomplish, projects to complete, deadlines to meet, and client relationships to nurture.

I clumsily stepped onto the escalator. As I adjusted my carry-on bag to fit on the step with me, I simultaneously hoisted my laptop bag more securely over my shoulder. Chicago O’Hare is a busy airport so I was mindful of keeping my things close to leave space for the sprinters who may run past […]

Our minds are powerful. The older I get, the more I’m in tune with the power of the mind. I’ve heard people compare a mind to fertile ground. Whatever is planted in it will flourish. I’ve also heard the mind compared to a rubber band because of its ability to stretch and grow. That growth […]

Rewrite your story with inspiration and action. I expand in abundance, success, and love every day as I inspire those around me to do the same. I read that affirmation, or ultimate success mantra (USM), last year in The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. The content of the book taught me so much, but it […]

Are there areas of your life you’re working to change? We needed new furniture. The set my husband and I had had for several years was in dire need of retirement. When guests would come over and sit on our couch or big, comfy chair, I worried they may not be able to get back […]

Now that you know your approach, it’s time to learn from it. Last month we talked tortoises, hares, and ostriches. Sounds a bit like Dorothy’s lions and tigers and bears, and maybe it is just a bit. Dorothy and her friends feared the lions, tigers, and bears they thought they may encounter, and we, too, […]

You’re working on changing your story. You’ve put in the work and taken all the action you should take. But you’re still not getting the results you want. What do I do now? You’re not alone. This is one of the most frequent statements coaches hear from their clients. The client hires the coach to […]

Allowing Room in Our Lives for our Needs I am a woman of routine. I eat the same five or six meals with no desire to venture too far out of what I know and like. I stay in touch with the same friends I’ve had for decades—the ones who have known me through many […]

Crossing from Unsatisfied to Fulfilled Last month, I shared the importance of getting our feet muddy while going after desired changes in life and crossing what I call the Ditch of Despair. This month is all about the how-to portion of crossing that ditch. How exactly do we get from the side of the ditch […]

Change starts slowly. Women hire me because they long for change. They want to feel more fulfilled in their relationship with their significant other. They want the business they started to be more successful. They want to be fully present with their kids after the workday is over (even when emails and texts continue finding […]

Passion and Purpose Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love suggests there are two types of people in the world: we all either fall into the jackhammer or the hummingbird category. When I first heard about her theory, it intrigued me.  So what is this theory? To understand that, we first have to understand the […]

What is spiritual clutter? With the popularity of Marie Kondo and her Netflix series Tidying Up, many of us are paying more attention to the physical clutter in our lives. Some of us are even clearing out that clutter. Marie’s goal, according to her website, is to help more people tidy their spaces by choosing […]

Emotions Impacting Your Life I am a life coach. When I share my profession with people, I get a variety of responses. I know when I’ve met someone who gets what I do when I hear this: “Great! I need to ask you something!” And this post is dedicated to those people. The questions they […]

Mental Clutter Clutter. When we hear the word, we most often think of physical things—the stuff that literally gets in our way, the papers that cover our dining room tables, the boxes full of we-don’t-even-remember-what on our shelves. It’s another type of clutter, though, that is responsible for holding us back and getting in our […]

Digital Clutter In the five decades I’ve spent on this planet, technology just keeps making life easier. We no longer need to unfold that huge map in the car when trying to find our vacation destination (thank goodness). Wondering what the outside temp is? No need to walk out the front door, look in today’s […]

Clutter from All the Stuff I think we can all agree we have too much stuff. For the few who may not be in agreement, here are some startling statistics from becomingminimalist.com: Storage units are part of a billion-dollar industry. The average American home holds 300,000 items. 25 percent of people with two-car garages don’t […]

A New Year with Less Clutter A new year. A fresh start. It seems January is the one month of the year we all agree to set ourselves up for success in the year ahead. We wipe the slate clean and energetically jump into the new year with resolutions and goals to achieve. That energy? […]

Are there areas of your life you’re working to change? We needed new furniture. The set my husband and I had had for several years was in dire need of retirement. When guests would come over and sit on our couch or big, comfy chair, I worried they may not be able to get back […]

Recognizing Old Patterns The holiday season is upon us again. For some, that fact brings thoughts of delicious food, memorable songs, fond traditions, and amazing time with family. For others, not so much. In fact, according to a survey from Think Finance, forty-five percent of Americans would actually prefer to skip Christmas. There are probably […]

Recognizing Old Habits I raised a son who is an analyzer extraordinaire. When our family (eight adults and five young kids) decided to spend a week together in one house for a vacation we’d never forget, our son got to work finding the perfect house for our crew. He pored over the listings and finally […]

Effective Leadership Requires Many Skills, Including Self-Care Leadership is difficult. It involves a daily lineup of needed skills and responsibilities. Diplomacy, accountability, problem solving, decision making, delegating, goal setting, team building, innovative thinking… The list could go on for days. Effective leaders—the kind that leave a positive imprint on our professional slate—understand that consistently bringing […]

Be a Better Leader by Knowing Your Truth The truth. It’s what we expect from others, and yet, it’s often difficult to accept when we do receive it. Life teaches us that sometimes the truth hurts. And often when it does, that’s exactly what we need to create a new, better truth. What is a better […]

Qualities of Leadership A 45-minute break between client meetings typically means I head to the nearest coffee shop. Once inside I’ll cover my lap with a napkin for warmth from the frigid air-conditioned atmosphere of noisy espresso machines, people chatting and the clacking of laptop keyboards. On this day, though, I decided to practice the […]

Understanding I watched an acquaintance from afar for a few months. First, I noticed she’d been dropping out of activities she’d always been part of. Someone who had been a steady presence in my circle of activities vanished, and I wasn’t sure why. She is the dynamo I’d always seen taking charge of committees and […]

Born Introvert Being the seventh of eight children, there were many traditions well underway by the time I came along. One such tradition was the baby picture from Olan Mills we each had taken at around a year old. The six pictures before mine each showed a baby smiling from ear to ear. Mine? Not […]

The Hamster Wheel Wake up. Shower and get ready. Go to work. Do the work. Drive home. Make dinner. Clean up the mess. Go to bed. Repeat. And repeat again. And again and again and again. It’s the hamster wheel of life that we often don’t even realize we’re on. I remember running on that hamster […]

Networking. When you read the word, what comes to mind for you? Joy? Excitement? Eagerness? Anticipation? Or would you rather get a root canal than go to another networking event swarming with people focused on self-promotion and selling? I recently attended a networking luncheon with the intention of learning more about the topic being shared […]