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I love to hear my husband’s stories that start with, “Dad taught me…” The importance of family, entrepreneurship, and adventure as a staple of life are a few of his favorite topics. For example, Doug learned about profitability at age 8 when he was reminded that he had to pay for the lawnmower rental and…

Why do some executives operate in an abundance mindset while others seem to have a scarcity mindset? Like tree leaves gasping for air and grappling for sun, perhaps the level of competition in business has us striving to secure–or even grow–our position in that dense forest of rivalry. When we perceive competition for power, resources,…

The mere mention of the word conflict can elicit stomach pain, angst and even heartache. For most people, it certainly is no fun to be in conflict with someone, which is why so many avoid it. Interestingly, leaders in organizations who avoid conflict may be doing harm to an individual or team. I worked with…

My father loved poetry. He often had us learn poems that we four kids would recite in unison as we rode cross-country in the car to visit the grandparents. The title of one popped into my head as I sat down to write about toxic cultures – “It Isn’t the Church, It’s You.” It’s easy…

Have you ever stayed in a situation you wish you would have left sooner? Perhaps it was a large commitment like a job, or a short interaction like a customer service phone call to obtain information. You might not necessarily regard your stick-to-itiveness as loyalty on your part…rather, you were holding out hope for something…

Remember the Mom question, “If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you too?”  It may have been our first encouragement to think independently. That, and a type of wake-up call that we may do and say things as a group that we would never consider as an individual. Welcome to groupthink. When I typed…

After 4 ½ months of sheltering in place in another state, my parents declared “it’s family time.” On the second day of their visit, my mom handed me a printout. I had only spoken two words when my dad said, “You don’t need to read that aloud. It’s not a biggie.” (The latter being a…

Who is the star of the show at work or in life, the person taking on a heroic role? You may know someone playing this role, or maybe it is you. This person feels the world is their oyster. Being a hero can feel glorious at times and, at other times, it can feel lonely.…

Peter Drucker wrote “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.” These words resonate right now as I’ve just sold my home of 30 years to start the next chapter of my life. In order to make room for the new, it involved letting go of a lot. How often do…

When corporate clients say they want to be coached for (greater) executive presence, my first question is “what does that mean to you?” Then come either the blank stares or a laundry list of tactical things – change the way they dress; shift their tone and/or cadence of speech; change their presentation style. More often…