Having a bad day? Trying to figure out what your strengths are?  Check out your celebration board or folder.  What is a celebration board or folder? It's a collection of artifacts from others that celebrate you and your accomplishments. 

When I was interviewed recently as part of my leadership evaluation, the interviewer asked me a question about an achievement I was most proud of.  I shared with her about a card I had on the wall of my workspace for years.  As many of you know I used to teach engineering.  As part of the graduation process, seniors are asked to fill out a survey.  One of the questions is to identify the single person who had the most impact on them during their time at the university, if there was someone.  A couple years after I left the university and had been working from the bank, I received an email with an attachment that explained this. The card simply listed the name of a student and 2 others who had identified me as that person.  I cannot tell you how many t...

Over my 13+ years of coaching, I've had the opportunity to help coach new managers and leaders.  One of the most effective tools in a manager's toolbox is their one-on-one's with their team.  This approach can also be used to maximize your time with your manager.

I recommend that my clients prepare for their 1-on-1s by documenting the following and sending it to their manager prior to their meeting.  This allows the time spent together to be most effective.  It also provides documentation of what you've done that can be later referenced for performance reviews.  For my team, I just ask them to send me a quick email with bullets.  It doesn't have to be pretty - just fulfill the purpose.

1) Accomplishments. I think often people believe that their managers know what they are doing.  But realistically, managers direct their attention where it's needed.  The squeaky wheel gets the attention.  So, if your projects are going well, your manager may not be aware of everything you are doing.  ...

There's an old African proverb that you may have heard:

If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.

As a leadership facilitator, I have facilitated an exercise where we have individuals complete a survival simulation by themselves and then with a group.  In <90% of cases, the group is more likely to survive than the individual.  In my head, I've known this for years.  Yet, my 360 feedback often highlighted my challenge in bringing people along.

1) I often focus on productivity or speed as my measure for success. As an individual contributor for years, this made sense.  I was successful based on what I accomplished.  However, now as a leader, it's not about what I can produce.  It's about what my team can produce.  And there's no doubt that others will be more motivated if they're bought in and inspired.  If they buy into the vision too.  So, it's worth it to take the extra time required to have the team co-create the vision with me.  I had to redefine what...

If you're like me and many Americans, you made some new years resolutions.  In my case, I try to think of them as new habits I'm going to integrate into my life.  Over the years, I've failed at making new year habits stick like many of you.  (Less than 20% of people make it 6 weeks with their new year's resolutions.)  Assuming you've already identified the "right" habit that aligns to your values and priorities, here are some strategies you can consider to improve your odds of success:

1) Doing things earlier in the day. A friend and I were talking a week or so ago and the subject of willpower came up as we discussed working out.  I talked about willpower as something that was a limited resource.  She disagreed.  I did some quick research and it seems like right now there are some mixed results.  That being said, I find it easier to do things that require "willpower" in the morning.  I'm usually a bit more motivated and less distracted by things that may come up later in the day.  Esp...

2020 was a challenging year for each of us in different ways.  For some of us it was overwhelming taking on teaching our kids while working full-time from home.  For others it was the feeling of isolation that grew as weeks of working virtually turned into months.

However, I believe there are some great things that have come out of 2020 as well that we can carry with us into 2021.  It is in moments of challenge and difficulty that we grow into better versions of ourselves.  It is not what happened but how we responded that determines who we are.

So as you look back on 2020 and prepare for 2021, ask yourself the following three questions:

1) What are some things you started this year that you'd like to continue next year?

For some of my friends and clients, they began cooking at home.  They worked out more frequently than before. For me, my family and friends began regular Zoom calls to stay in touch.  The technology had existed for years but it was the pandemic that triggered this ...

Developing thought leadership is key to growing your visibility with senior leaders in your organization.  The opinion of thought leaders is sought out by others because they're able to challenge ideas by asking thought-provoking questions and applying their sound judgement and critical thinking. Let's look at some of the traits that thought leaders cultivate.

1) Thought leaders are intellectually curious.  Their curiosity drives them to ask questions to better understand other's ideas.  Their curiosity paired with a growth mindset allows them to continuous learn - and learn with purpose.  Their curiosity is not idle.  It is purposeful.  It is focused.  Generally, they have a broad range of interests and are always learning new things.  They look around the world with interest and a desire to understand, not judge.  They take the time to thoroughly question and listen to the answers.  They don't assume they already know the answer and seek out opposing views.  

2) Thought leaders are...

Influence is simply the ability to affect something.  It sounds simple, but it's quite complex.  As you've probably heard me say before, there are two sources of power in most companies: authority & influence.  Authority is given to you by your title or position.  Influence is earned by you.  It's fundamental to leadership.  As we all know, it's not uncommon to be a manager but not a leader.

So where do you start with influence?

1) Observe. If you've ever been to an etiquette training, one of the most common pieces of advice is to observe which fork others pick up if you're not sure.  The same is true for influence.  If you're not sure how your stakeholder is influenced, pay attention to how they behave in meetings.  You can learn about their communication style, decision-making style, etc.  Influence is about giving others information in the way they need it, in order to effectively take action or make the decision.  One of the biggest mistakes emerging professionals make is not ada...

In the Strategic Communication & Leading Change Framework that I teach emerging leaders, there are three core elements: credibility, thought leadership and influence.  Credibility is why people listen to you.  Thought leadership is what you are saying - your idea or message.  And influence is how you communicate it. Today, I want to discuss credibility and why its so foundational.   

Over the years of coaching and mentoring engineers and other corporate professionals, I've often identified credibility as the first place they needed to take action.  Credibility is often misunderstood and overlooked.  But it's foundational - credibility is why people listen to you.   It's always evolving based on the situation and who you are interacting with, so it's important to be intentional about it.  Credibility is about WHAT you do and HOW you do it.

1) Credibility is situational.  Your credibility is directly related to the moment.  You may be credible in one situation but not another.  In his ...

I'll never forget the moment one of my old managers said this to me - "The most powerful person in the country is not the president.  It's the person who the president listens to."  He was talking about the power of influence.  There are two sources of power in most organizations - authority & influence.  Authority is bestowed on people by the nature of their role and depicted in organizational charts.  Influence is much harder to see but more often actually drives decisions and how organizations run.

Here are three reasons that influence is an important skill for emerging leaders who wants to advance their career:

1) Influence has grown in importance as companies have become more matrixed.  It's less likely that you will have authority over the people you need to do things in order for your project or work to be successful.  Teams are more cross-functional.  There's been an increase in senior-level roles with no reports.  The people in these roles are influencers - they are tasked t...

Today, we celebrate 244 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed.  I strongly believe that in order to keep the vision of what our founders saw in America, we all have an important role - to be engaged citizens and advocates. 

1) Register to vote and get educated on the issues facing our nation.  You probably are already registered to vote, but if not, take a few minutes to register now.  Now, take some time to get to know who is on the ballot and what they stand for.  Many people focus on the presidential election.  Historically, more people vote on a presidential election year than other years.  Remember - election day takes place every year.  And local elections impact your day-to-day life, in some ways, more than national elections.  Your school board makes decisions that impact the quality of your community's education.  It was governors, state officials, city mayors, and county leaders who made the critical decisions on how your community responded to the pandemic....