True intuitive expertise is learned from prolonged experience with good feedback on mistakes.”

– Daniel Kahneman

 

Feedback. This word can trigger such a visceral reaction that some organizations are experimenting with other names. At GE employees now provide ‘insights’ to their colleagues. Leadership guru Marshall Goldsmith is a proponent of using ‘feedforward’ to inspire positive change.

And yet, we get feedback all the time. Many of our cars have back up cameras and ‘blind spot detection’ that let us know when we get to close to another object. We have a new washing machine that plays a song longer than many of my selections on Pandora to let us know when a cycle is complete. At a high level, we tend to like feedback. More information is good. It can even be motivating. Am I the only who has walked around my bedroom before going to sleep at night to make my Fitbit goal and see the fireworks on my Alta?

As a leader, it is easy to say how much you value feedback. And I would bet you do, when it comes to understanding how the market is reacting to your latest scientific findings, or when you are trying to understand what might be impacting employee engagement or retention. But what about when it is about your personal leadership style? How much do you want it then? [Read more…]

 

Excerpt from my session at the Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT Conference, May 12, 2016 in Boston.

 

 

I was fortunate to be coached by a pioneer in the industry, Laura Berman Fortgang, and one of my favorite lines of hers is, “it is not what you do, it is who you get to be.”

Like the marketplace, leaders need to be actively changing, growing, and evolving. One way to do that is to look for opportunities to push beyond your comfort zone—When was the last time you did something new? How are you intentionally growing? Who are you intentionally being?

[Read more…]

 

Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.

—Nikos Kazantzakis

 

My husband and I recently moved out of our home of 17 years into temporary housing while we await re-construction of a property that we believe will better fit our next life phase.

We had been fantasizing for some time about where we might want to live once our younger daughter left for college: Should we get a loft in a more urban area? Leave our small town for a small city with sidewalks and beautiful old homes at bargain prices?

Where did we want to be? Who did we want to be?

The number of decisions has been overwhelming at times, both preparing to exit our old home and re-building the new one. I regularly remind myself what a privilege it is to have so many options, so many choices.

[Read more…]

Excerpt from my session at the Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT
Conference, May 12, 2016 in Boston.

I was fortunate to have worked for a large mutual fund company throughout most of my 30’s. I was extra-fortunate to have worked in several different geographic locations over the course of ten years, and I moved between functions—Employee Relations, Staffing, Leadership Development, and for a time Product Management, where I was able to interact with a completely different crowd.

One of the lasting benefits from my time there? Almost everyone I ever worked with, now works somewhere else. A significant portion of my coaching and consulting business has been built via referrals from former colleagues—many of whom I worked with over ten years ago.

[Read more…]

Excerpt from my session at the Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT Conference, May 12, 2016 in Boston.

My post-college career began in the late 80’s. I was a first generation college student and my well-meaning parents thought that as long as I had a degree, my career would take care of itself.

Upon graduation, I accepted the first job I was offered and began work at a financial services company. My confidence was bolstered as I discovered that I was able to learn what was needed relatively quickly, and won awards for quality and productivity on my team. Unfortunately, I was bored. There seemed to be only one path forward, and I didn’t think it would get any more interesting. After a little over a year, I decided to find something new. [Read more…]

Burnout… is the sum total of hundreds and thousands of tiny betrayals of purpose, each one so minute that it hardly attracts notice.”

Richard Gunderman

 

It has been said that burnout is the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest. In my work with leaders, I have seen this to be true. I’ve also witnessed is a lot of pain and denial before leaders actually acknowledge that this is the source of their malaise.

A recent Inc. article shared how successful leaders often overcome great adversity, “through mental toughness, with no help,” and noted this can also be what brings them down.

Sometimes described as “overachiever syndrome, burnout predominantly happens to high performers.” [Read more…]

“…one of the most gratifying results of intellectual evolution is the continuous opening up of new and greater prospects.”

Nikola Tesla

I was recently at a yoga and retreat center in Western Massachusetts to ostensibly ‘get ahead’ on my blog posts. Committed to letting my creativity loose by brainstorming different topics related to leadership (stay tuned for ‘Leading with an Invisibility Cloak’), I revisited some of the content I’d written for the Energy Spring Leadership website a couple of years ago.

Describing our clients, I said they were “committed to deepening their capacity to lead the way forward, and to creating the future they know is possible.” These two attributes are key to successful and sustainable leadership.

[Read more…]

I learned that leadership is about falling in love with the people and the people falling in love with you.”

Joyce Banda, Former President of Malawi & Forbes Power Women List #40

A technology executive at a Fortune 500 multi-national, Roger had always succeeded at intellectual pursuits. He worked hard in school, received the highest marks, and continued to earn advanced degrees. Upon entering the workforce, his career followed a similar upward trajectory.

Consistently identified as a high potential employee, Roger had been promoted every 2-3 years without fail. His determination and commitment helped him build a reputation as someone who got things done well, and on time. Then, at two levels down from the CEO, the promotions stopped.

[Read more…]

“I keep having vivid dreams of success. Then it’s time to sleep.”
—Conor McGregor

Can you feel the energy of this amazing year? We are not yet through January, and everywhere I go, friends and clients alike tell me that 2016 is ‘the year’ for them—the big one. And I confess I feel that way, too. Different types of work that I had envisioned in a very particular way, some time ago, are now showing up with remarkable precision.

A colleague tells me that she had very clear criteria for the type of firm she someday wanted to join several years ago, and without any (conscious) effort on her part, an offer has landed in her lap that ticks all of the boxes—perfectly. Coincidence? Maybe. But I think we are more powerful creators than we give ourselves credit for.

[Read more…]

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
—William Arthur Ward

One of the most important things a leader can do is express gratitude to the people around them, including direct reports, colleagues, board members, customers, and vendors. As the holidays approach, don’t miss the opportunity to recognize the many people who contribute to your individual success and the success of your organization. [Read more…]