Can Our Strengths Also Be Our Weaknesses?
One of the exercises in my GPS Your Career workshop is to identify characteristics that differentiate you and contribute to your success. Last week when I delivered this workshop at MIT, someone asked the question, "What if your strengths are perceived by some people...
The Power of Vulnerability
Please watch this video! This is Brene Brown's presentation at the Houston TED Conference on "The Power of Vulnerability". This twenty minute video is life-changing. At least, it was for me. We all struggle with vulnerability. No one is completely comfortable when...
The Importance of Building Bridges
A senior vice president walks into the company's executive committee meeting to introduce her plan to roll out a new consumer product. She has prepared and practiced her presentation. She has anticipated questions and push backs and prepared her responses. She has...
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who’s the fairest of them all? Who’s the smartest? Who’s the most successful? If you’re like most women I know, you will look at your reflection in the mirror and knock yourself down, and look for ways to berate yourself. Why is this so? In...
The Business of Storytelling
Good stories captivate us. They grab our attention and focus. They transport us to another place and time where our imagination is free to roam and play. Everyone loves stories. We are mesmerized by good storytellers, and we love to tell our own stories. After all, we...
10 Common Communication Mistakes
As kids, we played the game of telephone and thought it was funny to hear how the original message changed as it was passed along from one person to another. In business, no one laughs when communication fails, and projects and teams fall apart as a result. Direct and...
What Holds Middle Managers Back?
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to speak at Harvard Business School's Dynamic Women in Business Conference. Our panel discussion was titled, Working in Heels: Women in the Workplace today, and the focus of the discussion was the internal barriers and external...
Thinking Outside the Box
I remember how wonderful I felt at first when I was hired to run a national company. I was thrilled with my new title and excited to take on the challenge of resurrecting a company that was doing poorly. I was up for the challenge. The position meant a move to Chicago...
Lessons Learned from the Snow
I heard on the news this morning that we have had more snow so far this January than any previous January on record. Every week we have at least one storm and most weeks it’s two. Shoveling is now a part of our normal routine. The first big snowstorm was stressful...