Did you take the bait?

Have you noticed how often people get worked up on social media arguing with people they don’t even know? Here’s what happened. Someone offered the bait, and others took the bite. We all participate in some form of taking the bait. Then ask yourself, do you spend unnecessary time defending your point of view, or […]

Strategy #3 For Dealing With Overwhelm

Let’s face it, sometimes we get in our own way and create way more frustration than necessary. Specifically when we need people or situations to be anything other than what they are, and strive to control things out of our control. This is strategy #3 for managing anxiety and overwhelm. Strategy #3 | Cancel the […]

Strategy #2 for dealing with overwhelm

I don’t like to focus on the negative, but I do like to speak the truth. The truth for many is that we feel anxious and overwhelmed. You can try to hide it, but your silent thoughts leak out in your nervous behaviors. Here’s my second strategy (continued from last week) for managing overwhelm and […]

Why Truth Telling Takes Courage

Have you ever had feedback that stung a little? Do you reflect on your weaknesses or do you feel too vulnerable to accurately assess your challenges? My suggestion is to feel the fear and do the assessment anyway! You are stronger than you think you are! Take an honest assessment of your leadership challenges. Have […]

Emotional Integrity

Do you lose your cool only to have regrets later? Do you often describe yourself by saying “I have an anger problem?”  Or do you work with someone who seems edgy, sharp, and simply can’t master their energy? When emotions take over it’s easy to misunderstand and be misunderstood. Even if you want to change, […]

Try These Practices To Increase Your Self-Regulation

Strong emotions can derail even the most stable leader, given the right timing and circumstances. When we feel we’re at the mercy of our rage, anger or resentment, we react swiftly, only to have regrets later. We stay on the hamster wheel of anger, reaction and regret, promising to do better next time. The problem […]

Making Distinctions Reduces Conflict

Part of leadership is managing conflict, but you can’t manage what you don’t understand, and what you don’t understand leads to ineffective decision-making. Building the critical skill of making distinctions helps leaders make better decisions and manage conflicts. Here are three distinctions every leader needs to understand. 1. Identity versus title Your title might be […]

Emotional Integrity

Strong emotions can derail even the most stable leader, given the right timing and circumstances. Like me, I’m  sure you’ve done something you regret when you reacted out of anger–maybe you’ve fired off a terse email, raised your voice or accused someone of ill intention. Sometimes we feel that we are at the mercy of […]

Should You Trust Your Feelings?

If you hear yourself saying things like, “they don’t care,” “he isn’t engaged” or “she thinks she’s above it all,” then you’re operating off of emotions and not observation. In other words, you’re relying on your emotional brain rather than your executive brain. As a leader, it’s self-regulation that helps you initiate conversations that get […]

Stop trying to impress others

This is my second post in my series on getting more connected in 2022. The tip is to stop trying to impress others. Perhaps you’ve already learned this lesson, but chances are some of the leaders you mentor may struggle with trying to prove themselves. When you notice someone using big words, one-upping others in […]