How Do I Catch the Elevator to Success?

How Do I Catch the Elevator to Success?

A former colleague called me the other day, fatigued. She was working harder than ever, she felt, and not getting anywhere. At the same time, she was seeing peers seemingly move ahead with ease. What was she doing wrong? Nothing, I assured her. Some of us improve our...
What’s Your Secret Sauce?

What’s Your Secret Sauce?

“We’ve already done storytelling,” the Learning and Development manager said to me over the phone as I proposed a workshop for emerging leaders at the organization. “What else do you do?” What else do I do? I could have told a story,...
Which Motivates More: A Carrot or a Stick?

Which Motivates More: A Carrot or a Stick?

The origins of the saying are unclear. It starts with a donkey being guided by a carrot strung in front of him, just out of reach. The desire for the carrot will get that donkey to move forward. If it doesn’t, the owner may hit the donkey from behind with a...
The One Thing Employees Need Most

The One Thing Employees Need Most

What do employees need most to feel satisfied and successful at work? It’s not what you think. Sure, opportunity for advancement is important. So too is “work/life balance”, whatever that means. (I prefer work/life “Enoughness”). Ample...
The Many Contradictions of a Capable Leader

The Many Contradictions of a Capable Leader

How do you lead? With anything in particular? With a little bit of everything? Much has been written about the expectations for a new generation of leaders and the need to be multifaceted. (Not multi-faced. Multifaceted!) What is a multifaceted leader? Mirriam-Webster...
Live Your Life in Technicolor

Live Your Life in Technicolor

Three months earlier I sat with a friend as she pondered her next career move. A seasoned and skilled executive, she had been marginalized by a company that both overworked and undervalued her. She had been passed over for a promotion that went to a man with less...