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I had a really hard week. I gave an executive presentation to the top leaders of an organization and they had critical feedback. These executives became emotionally charged as the powerful members stated their positions, often cutting other’s views, and sidetracking my well-rehearsed presentation to express their voice of dissent. The content, although engaging, included…

Imagine this situation with me: Paul is the boss at an organization and is grabbing a morning cup of coffee in the break room as Britney, an employee of the organization, walks in to place her lunch in the refrigerator. Paul says, “Good morning, Britney, you look really great in that dress.” This type of…

Are There Gender Differences in Leadership?  There are a plethora of leadership models that have been popular in business from Situational Leadership, to Transformational Leadership, to One-Minute Manager, to Level 5 Leadership. The list goes on and on but one thing is true – thought leaders in leadership science describe what is true for leaders, what…

If it’s true that over 85% of human success is in the emotional and social intelligence domains (rather then remembering facts/figures of cognition), then are we really preparing our children and teenagers for living in the world of social connection and empathy? How many of the following emotional intelligence (EQ) skills do you remember learning…

“Emotions are the root of everything we do, the unquenchable origin of every act more complicated than a reflex…In all cases, emotions are humanity’s motivators…” A General Theory of Love, Thomas Lewis, MS Emotional Intelligence is the ability to notice and name your emotional experience while it is happening, and then make effective decisions for…

Changing human behavior is messy business. How many times have we made resolutions to do something differently in the New Year, only to find by mid-January, it is back to business as usual? The human brain is wired for efficiency. This organ, although only 2% of our body weight, uses about 20% of our caloric…

Have you ever been frustrated by your career or wished you were doing something different? I remember years ago driving into work and thinking, “Only 19 more years until retirement.” I was in a in a job where I was not using my strengths and felt completely powerless to change the situation. I called my…

I had a boss who used to say, “we hire you for what you can do, and we fire you for who you are. . .” This statement has stuck with me for over two decades. The idea: you can have the most AMAZING credentials and resume, however, if you are not a social fit for…

I love road trips. The freedom of being on the open road has excited me since I was 17 years old when I drove my 1980 Firebird across the American continent. I remember getting a speeding ticket in Beaver, Iowa going 96 in a 55 miles per hour zone. I was in such a hurry…

Are American Women Breaking Up with “The Man?” Recently, I was in a room full of 150 female entrepreneurs and the speaker, a 7-figured powerhouse asked, “how many of you have ever worked in the corporate sector?” About 148 hands raised. Then she asked, “How many of you would go back?” No one raised their…