Lessons of My Own  Winter 2007

As I sit down to write in this new year, I realize that my readership is changing and growing, and this is at least one of the challenges with which I have been grappling. Two distinct shifts are taking place in my business which attracts a different clientele for me to serve. One shift ... [ more ]

Significance of Story  Winter 2007

What stories are written, or verbally shared, about the company in which you work? How do you keep the vital history of the company alive and thriving? Imagine this... You join a company during its first year of inception. People are excited about being a part of something 'from the ground up.' Every day there is a vibrant ... [ more ]

Lessons of My Own  Summer 2006

Consulting can be a lonely business, even when you are working with fabulous clients and their teams. And it can be financially challenging when, inexplicably, work flow slows down. As I took stock of my situation last year, I realized that beyond the obvious need for added income, there was a desire to connect and ... [ more ]

Conductor's Curiosity  Summer 2006

What makes a group lively and engaged? What is your capability quotient? If you extend yourself, what more can you create? These are questions of a genuine leader who has learned to be less absorbed by her own vanities. In The Art of Possibility, authors Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander write in the Fifth Practice about the orchestra conductor who recognizes that using tyranny ... [ more ]

Lessons of My Own  Fall 2005

Survival is defined as 'an outliving' or the living beyond a person, thing, or event, or to last longer than. Over the past three months as I have reflected on the nature of survival in my own life challenges, I have witnessed the aftermath of Katrina, Rita, and Pakistan's earthquake, and ... [ more ]

Business is Personal  Fall 2005

Over the years, many business leaders have tried to craft a distinction between what one believes, supports, and ultimately executes in the name of 'the company' as specifically distinct from one's own personal beliefs, and nearly all these efforts have foundered. The arguments made in favor of splitting business from anything personal have ... [ more ]

Lessons of My Own  Summer 2005

Does it always necessitate a crisis to get me to step back and take a good look at my life? No, and yet, when I don't do it regularly, things brew up into a froth until they finally get my attention. Then I stop long enough to realize it's time to take stock and see what needs to ... [ more ]

The Service of Leadership  Summer 2005

We've heard and read respected sources reflect that service is the core of leadership. I spent time with a CEO recently, talking with her about her multifaceted business and how it has grown over the years, now being positioned to double in size over the next ... [ more ]

Lessons of My Own  Winter 2005

Emotional maturity beckons us to put into practice that which we don't necessarily feel capable of doing. Last July, I attended a retreat that dealt with what it takes to become an "Emotional Engineer." The focus was on deepening one's process and practice to convert emotional baggage ... [ more ]

Brainstorming—A Tool for Whole Brain Creativity  Winter 2005

Trevor Cole, author and nominee for a Governor General's Literary Award, wrote an article featured in the University of Toronto Magazine entitled "Why Good People Do Bad Things." In it, he references Tapscott and Ticoll's book, The Naked Corporation, and focuses ... [ more ]

Lessons of My Own  Fall 2004

A friend of mine in the final stage of being ordained as a Presbyterian Minister (candidate) tells a story about one of her early presentations before the governing body. She spoke to them about growing up in a Presbyterian church where ... [ more ]

Brainstorming—A Tool for Whole Brain Creativity  Fall 2004

Brainstorming was introduced by advertising writer, Alex Osborn in the 1950s, as a way of breaking out of our habit-bound thinking. The results are more potent when the facilitator remembers to utilize him/herself by being prepared, present, and positive during the process. It's also important to remember and ... [ more ]

Lessons of My Own  Summer 2004

I recently joined a group in which participants are called upon randomly to talk about particular topics. The purpose of the group is both to learn from each other and to contribute stories and ideas that may be of value to others. What I know to be true about myself is ... [ more ]

Setting Context in Business Wins  Summer 2004

GE's CEO, Jeff Immelt uses a checklist of his own to stay sharp. This he crafted from a course he teaches at GE for emerging leaders called "Things Leaders Do." His own list includes "Understanding Breadth, Depth, and Context." He says ... [ more ]

Lessons of My Own  Spring 2004

Collaborating is tough sometimes. On the one hand, it can be a rich experience to bounce ideas around with bright, innovative thinkers who offer various perspectives. On the other hand, it can be maddening ... [ more ]

Finding One's Way Back to the Miracle  Spring 2004

In my business, all my clients are leaders at various levels, working diligently to manage the best they can—influencing teams and individuals to focus, to speak their truth and their good ideas, to stretch to develop themselves, and ultimately ... [ more ]

Lessons of My Own  Winter 2004

I've been having a literary love affair with New York Times best selling author—Lisa Scottoline—whose novels are set in Philadelphia and feature the all-female law firm of Rosato & Associates. Her legal thrillers ... [ more ]

Commitment—The Ebb & Flow  Winter 2004

Coaching creates evolution. When I coach and consult with top leaders from various industries, I continually remind them that honing leadership competencies and styles takes time. There's a repeated practice ... [ more ]

Lessons of My Own  Summer 2003

I'm moving myself through the Absence of You Coaching tools and concepts so I can gain facility with these new ideas, and because I like to first subject myself to anything I ask my clients to experience ... [ more ]

A Time for Thriving  Summer 2003

In this year's July issue of Fast Company Magazine, there is an article entitled, "All the Right Moves—A Guide for the Perplexed Exec," and it talks about succeeding in this strange and challenging economy of ours ... [ more ]

Lessons of My Own  Spring 2003

I took a seminar recently presented by Tom Stone called "Living Life on Purpose." During the course of the day, one of the things he talked about was that we are the only ones who can truly love ourselves ... [ more ]

Corporate Care: How Do We make This Come Alive?  Spring 2003

I was talking with a colleague the other day about what is needed in the corporate world at a time when we are surrounded by reports of the war, the casualties of war, and retaliation plans from nations and people who oppose the actions of the United States. People are impacted by ... [ more ]

A Critical Time for Coaching  Winter 2003

I have been startled to hear my own voice and those of my colleagues and clients qualifying certain business decisions dependent upon whether or not the United States is involved in war. We are in the midst of daunting times, and the uncertainty of our fate ... [ more ]

Doing the One—Making an Effort Daily  Winter 2003

Empty reassurances don't do any of us any good. We want to be able to look life square in the face and know that we are seeing a semblance of reality and truthfulness. In that stark visage, we may experience ... [ more ]

Applying Personal Lessons to Business Endeavors  Summer 2002

It's been a full year now since my husband died suddenly. We were two weeks away from celebrating our 15th Anniversary, and we made plans to 'do it up royal.' Ceremony, food, and dancing. Losing him was devastating. I was so shaken, it was often hard to recognize myself ... [ more ]

Cracking the Whip—With Prudence  Fall 2001

When leaders are faced with a workforce that's not producing at capacity whose morale seems to have plummeted, it requires an approach that is both firm and balanced. A good leader will start by clarifying for him/herself what specifically is needed ... [ more ]

The Endowment of Ebb   Spring 2001

Peter Russell, author of the book, Waking Up in Time, recounts research about the extraordinary rate of growth in our accumulated body of knowledge. ...today, human knowledge is estimated to be doubling every eighteen months. [ more ]

Hitting Your Stride as a Leader   Winter 2001

Operating on the leading edge and achieving career aspirations have propelled many savvy workers into roles with important titles-Director, VP, even CEO. To the world at large, these folks have accomplished something big. [ more ]

Don't Just Open The Door—Make It Mean Something  Fall 2000

Managers pride themselves on "doing things for their people." What the seasoned manager learns over time is that anything she does for her people, she directly or indirectly does for herself. Nothing selfish about this. In fact, it's a... [ more ]

The Winds (Typhoons) of Change  Summer 2000

"Yes, by all means, let's get a consultant in here to help us find balance after our down-sizing, reorganization, or merger." My experience is that people are usually eager, after a tangible shift, to have help sorting through... [ more ]

The Power of One   Spring 2000

Ten years ago, Bryce Courtenay wrote a compelling book by this title that the New York Times claimed "had everything." I remember ambling through this book for weeks, initially torn between the desire to prolong my pleasure with... [ more ]

Attaining Wisdom   Winter 2000

I believe it was author, Sylvia Boorstein who said, "You don't become wise on the run." It brings to mind a time some years back when I used to fly to an island in the... [ more ]

Begin By Being Open   Fall 1999

When you make a leadership decision in your organization to embrace open communication, it is imperative that you know what that looks like and sounds like in a corporate setting. It may mean that during a management team meeting you... [ more ]

Business Decisions   Summer 1999

Business gets interpreted at times as ruthless, cut-throat, and lacking care. By this definition, if you're doing business, or acting with business objectives in mind, you simply can't be... [ more ]

Leaders, One and All   Spring 1999

Leadership is often ascribed to people based on the title they hold or the position they take on within an organization-or even within a family. The downside of this is having ... [ more ]

Adaptability   Winter 1999

Adaptability is the capacity to change one's behavior, attitudes, and communication style to conform to new or changed circumstances. Every business and organization today needs their people to have ... [ more ]