My thoughts

Bad Reception? When Signals Get Distorted, Culture Starts to Crumble

Are you a good signal reader? Maybe now is the time to harness this leadership power.

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Leading a Dream: Positive Team Dynamics Mean Success

I once led a team that I believed was truly magical. We had a real spark between us and collaborated in a way that I had never experienced. And through this team we accomplished some industry firsts, lots of successes, and plenty of belly laughs.

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Promote Your Best By Removing Your Inner Critics

Do you find yourself contending with negative thoughts and self-doubt? If you do, you may not realize how much you're holding yourself back. In this video, we discuss how trust, in oneself and one's team, can lead to more success and better results.

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Your Boundaries Need to Be Stronger, Sooner

Most of us, women especially, have slippery boundaries. This often is because many of us want to please or focus more on being nice, rather than being kind. That’s right, I believe boundaries are kind. Having boundaries does not mean you are rigid or tough. It means being clear with what you expect and how you want to be treated. It means setting a playing field and clarifying the ground rules.

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How Ready Are You to Lead in a Volatile World? Test Your Mettle Here

It’s no longer a VUCA world – volatility seems to be on steroids these days and we’ve entered what’s known as BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Non-Linear, and Incomprehensible) times. This means unpredictable crises are the norm and the world is increasingly complex... it’s unfortunately a time of fragility and fear.

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Is Your Workplace Toxic? How to Know and What to Do About It

You may feel something isn’t right at work, but if there’s no obvious abuse or discrimination, it can be difficult to evaluate. The more subtle the actions (or microaggressions), the harder to pinpoint if you do indeed work in a toxic environment.

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How to Deal with a Toxic Team

What creates a team's culture and communication style? In this video, we discuss toxicity in teams and actions that help teams communicate much more effectively.

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The Future of Work: Ways to Progress & Practice Inclusivity

In honor of the 77th UN General Assembly and its International Labor Organization’s important work around The Future of Work – and how it ties into the broader Sustainable Development Goals – let’s take a look at how to manage your hybrid or dispersed teams more inclusively, and what to do if you have recently had your option to work fully remote change.

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The Future of Work: How Close Are We in a Hybrid World?

Ahead of the 77th UN General Assembly, which will begin in mid-September with an agenda full of resolutions around environmental sustainability, sustainable economic development, and the protection of human rights, I wanted to reflect back on the UN’s strategy on the future of work, created in 2019.

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How to Transform From a "Manager" to a "Leader" and Adapt

Shifting balances has become the norm as a result of recent events. How can we adapt? In this video, I explain the changes we've seen in leadership over the past two years and how although it might seem familiar, our new way of working requires a new perspective.

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Leadership Has Changed Forever — Embrace It

Exactly two years ago – May 2020 – was the peak of lockdowns worldwide. While the cause of these lockdowns, COVID, isn’t over by any means, these strict measures likely won’t happen again in the western world (parts of Asia, however, are currently experiencing a return).

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How Can I Support My Team When I'm Not Feeling 100% Myself?

Don't have the energy or full focus to really support your team? I'm hearing from many of my coaching clients that leading teams right now is harder. In this video, I share ways to recenter yourself, and offer some surprising tips on how to make your leadership even stronger.

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Learning the ABCs of Awakening a New Leader in You

With the kids back to school, I thought this is a good opportunity for us adults to do some of our own learning. So, I'm sending you to leadership school — giving you my personal ABC's of how to be the most effective leader possible.

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What Should You Do When You Can't Be Yourself at Work

Ever wonder what you should do when you can't be your whole, authentic self at work or in other environments, such as with certain friends or family members?

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Be Proud of YOU — Being “Different” Enhances Your Work and Leadership

If you’ve always felt a little different, or maybe not “normal” (whatever that means), you may think you can’t fully be yourself at work, like you have to pretend to be someone else or “tone down” your personality in order to be accepted into the company fold.

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Why Do I Love Working with Many? It’s the Humanity of it All

When I started my coaching practice three years ago, I quickly realized that it could be a very lonely profession. I found myself coaching individual clients, with no day-to-day peer contact, no collective projects, and nobody to share impressions with or seek advice from.

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Science is Progress — Even in Business

With vaccines really picking up in many countries, we are beginning to feel some relief and see a possible retreat of the ongoing COVID pandemic — and who do we have to thank most? Who has not only helped protect us, and are now helping to save us? The science community.

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Science Will Save Us — and It Will Make You a Better Leader

As we round the corner of a pandemic winter and turn our (still masked) faces toward the emerging spring sun, we have an international community of scientists to thank. They’ve worked tirelessly to save humanity, despite facing brutal questioning of their integrity and validity.

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In Power, Yes! Empowerment, No Thanks!

Lately I’ve become sensitive to many buzzwords in business literature, and frankly, at times irritated. In particular, the words empowerment, empowering, and empowered bother me. This being Women’s History Month, it’s the perfect time to explore why words that are so well-intentioned don’t leave me with a positive impression.

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All You Need is Love — Even in Business

I’m feeling like I want to reflect on love. It’s February, and it’s also my birth month — the perfect time to share my thoughts on the power of love in my life. So, I’m writing this letter to you to consider, or re-consider, leading with your heart.

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Dear Melissa: A Letter Encouraging You to Define Your Own Power

Watching the secretary to Governor Cuomo brought out the coach in me. New York is a tough place to establish leadership, especially in politics.

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Women are Successfully Leading Countries — So Why Aren't They Leading More Companies?

As New Zealand’s “Beehive” rattled during a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, Jacinda Ardern remained unshaken during a live interview. She calmly stated that indeed, there was an earthquake, reassuring viewers “we’re fine… we’re in a structurally-sound place,” as she flashed her Cheshire Cat smile.

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Coaching for freedom to lead

This morning, I woke up with an urge to talk to you about coaching and freedom. Before I became an executive coach, I had a long career as a corporate executive. In that role, I was driven to deliver tangible results, on time and under budget.

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