Leadership Companion Blog

Recently I was confronted with a leader who abdicated responsibility for the pain caused by a decision the group had made. GET MY GOAL COMPANION I went to talk with the leader of the group to point out that a decision was made and that others and myself were feeling hurt and left out. As the leader of this group has experience leading other groups, I thought there would be a recognition of the hurtful impact of the group’s decision; however, that didn’t happen. Instead, the more I repeated the message that the group’s actions had caused pain, the more

The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! Henry Ward Beecher This is the time of year when we give thanks. It’s the time when we look around our lives and feel grateful for all that we have – our families, friends, and all of the love in our lives. We are grateful for the work that we do. We look to see the silver lining in all of our difficult situations, and feel grateful for

Is there a conversation you’ve been putting off? Is there a coworker or family member with whom you need to talk – but haven’t? With the holidays around the corner, maybe you’re even a little tense about navigating an office gathering or a family holiday party because you haven’t cleared the air with someone who will be in the room. GET MY VISION COMPANION I just helped a client walk through the difficult conversation framework. She had an issue that needed to be addressed; however, she knew her direct style would not serve her well this time. She told me

There are a lot of ways to have a greater sense of happiness in your life; one of the most powerful is by giving to others. Why does sharing happiness with others make you feel more pleased? GET MY GOAL COMPANION You minimize your own difficulties Centering on what you are able to do for people in need is a great way to put your own problems into linear perspective. After my stroke, I sometimes found myself wallowing in self-pity. Naturally, I was prone to amplify my own problems and thought that my problems were unbearable. Once I connected with

Maybe you are planning to start a new journey in your life right now, …something you have always wanted to do but never did before.  You might have also experienced failing to achieve your goals in the past, and now you’re probably asking what could have gone wrong. Those learning experiences have shed light on this phenomenon, and here are five of the known reasons why some people do not see their goals completely realized. GET MY GOAL COMPANION 1. Fear of taking risks These are part of every journey, employment, or activity. They may only differ on the degree

Being productive at work can be challenging. It can be hard to know where to start managing your time in ways that are conducive to your productivity. No matter who you are, it can be a struggle to understand how to structure your time effectively. No matter what you do for work, you need to be on point with how to manage your time. Here are five of the best ways that you can dramatically increase your productivity. GET MY VISION COMPANION 1. Turn Off All Distractions Every time an email pops up on your screen, every time your phone

The organization, Inspiring Girls International, has challenged women around the world to participate in a campaign called “This Little Girl Is Me”. I remember reading many amazing posts on LinkedIn last year; however, I was still battling to regain energy after my stroke and I didn’t have it in me to write about myself. This year is different. I truly see the gift of life and am ready to share more about me. This little girl grew up always longing to just fit in. On Guam, she stood out from day one as the largest baby in the hospital nursery.

Success is extremely subjective. What can seem like success to one person may mean something entirely different to another person. No matter what you consider to be successful, there are some habits that will help you get there. Today, I’m sharing five of those habits that I’ve seen in very successful women I coach. Not only are these habits extremely helpful in becoming successful at work and life, they are also easy to incorporate into your life – so easy, that you can start using them tomorrow if you want. GET MY GOAL COMPANION 1. Wake Up Earlier One of

I coach a lot of women who long to live authentically. Many of them can identify someone they know who seems to be very genuine and authentic and lives a very happy life. These women aspire to do so as well. Through my coaching, I’ve identified these four things that authentic people do that might help you live more authentically. GET MY GOAL COMPANION 1. They Are in Integrity With Their True Selves: Authentic people are genuine, real, and (mostly) in integrity with themselves. They don’t try to be someone they are not or please people they don’t know. They,

At some point or another, every woman has wondered if they are on the right track and if the work they are pouring their time and energy into is actually going to work out how they hope. The reality is that these fears and doubts are just part of rising up in leadership. As a woman, there will be times when you’re not sure that things will work out. It is in these moments that you need to be able to take a step back and look at the situation, and your thoughts, in a different way. Temporary setbacks and

As someone who prides herself on getting to inbox zero many Fridays, I was shocked when two women VPs in different coaching groups admitted recently to mass deleting their entire inboxes full of emails to get to inbox zero. The first woman told us that she wanted to share how she found freedom over the last month as she explained that her inbox usually hovered around 300 emails, but then travel started in earnest in the spring and suddenly she no longer had the energy to keep up with her inbox like she did pre-Covid. As a result, her inbox

I’m often asked how to build credibility with others, whether it’s your new boss or someone you’re hoping to turn into your sponsor. Given this, I thought rapport was a timely topic. In a nutshell, what it takes is to ask questions, have a positive and open attitude, encourage an open exchange of communications (both verbal and unspoken), listen to verbal and observe unspoken communications, and share positive feedback. Here are important details on each step: GET MY GOAL COMPANION 1. Ask Questions Building rapport is similar to interviewing someone for a job opening or it can be like a

I was coaching a c-suite woman the other day who works for a startup that’s in hyper growth mode. GET MY GOAL COMPANION She told me she is very worried that her relationships at work are too strained. When I asked about the root of the problem, she said everyone seems to want her to slow down; however, she said she barely has time to go to the bathroom during the day let alone stop and say hi to someone. I wondered aloud what some patience toward others might achieve. She looked at me and said, “I don’t feel like

As summer winds down, maybe you’re finding yourself a little fatigued right now. Perhaps that vacation wasn’t quite as refreshing as you hoped it would be or you over scheduled yourself earlier this year not thinking about how much energy each thing would take out of you. If this sounds like you, there are things you can do to give yourself a boost of energy right now. Below are some energy boosters that have worked for me and others over the years. Try them out and figure which ones work for you. GET MY VISION COMPANION 1. Energetic music Different

How many times have you heard a true champion speak with doubt? How many times have you heard an Olympian say, “It will be a tough competition and we will just have to wait until the event and see how it all works out”? Never, because doubt knocks them out before they even begin. The athletes that are remembered are always those that performed memorably under extreme pressure. I use memorably here because they can either be remembered for choking or rising to the occasion. Anyone who has played competitive sports and gone to playoffs knows that there is a

We all suffer from anxiety at some point or another. Anxiety is just a normal part of everyday life. It can actually be a useful emotion in helping us to cope with stressful situations. There will always be reasons to feel anxious. All ages experience anxiety. Children feel it in school before a test; even young babies feel it when separated from their mothers. Adults have plenty of opportunities to feel anxious whether it is from a job, finances, romance, or due to being self-conscious. I find that often the women I coach have anxiety because they have to do

Before summer ends, I wanted to talk about relaxation. The longer I’m alive, the more I’ve learned that being able to relax is important to achieving optimal performance and health. Being relaxed can increase our productivity in every area of our lives. If we’re not relaxed, everything we do will be a struggle. Relaxation provides mind-body integration necessary for peak performance. GET MY GOAL COMPANION It is important to relax to get ours mind clear and our bodies tension free. It helps us regain focus and cool down. It also helps return to a balanced physical state. Relaxation is vital

I coach an incredible woman who is a leader in cybersecurity for a Fortune 500 company. Her list of accomplishments are a mile long. Equally as long are the accolades others constantly share about her, yet, she came to me because she needed help building her confidence. She felt like she had outgrown her position and was ready to interview for a promotion, but when she talked about her achievements, she was convinced she was not talking about herself. She said it was like having an out-of-body experience. Confidence issues can be brought about by many different reasons and over

“When the soul wishes to experience something she throws an image of the experience before her and enters into her own image.” Meister Eckhart Do you have any idea what you think about all day? No, really. Have you ever stopped to ponder this? It sounds like a silly question, but most of us don’t actually observe the drama that’s constantly going on inside our heads. I encountered this recently in a way that makes me a little uncomfortable to share; however, I think it makes my point very well.  If you coach with me, you know that when we

Time management is a big concern for a lot of women leaders. I keep hearing, “There are just not enough hours in the day…” or “Where does my time go?” As you turned the calendar page to a new month, did you wonder this yourself? As we emerge out of the pandemic, we’re suddenly inundated by all the things again. One of my clients told me recently that she needed better time management and asked if I could help her.  She shared that she is managing a new team with three new supervisors who need her help learning the business