Leadership Development Archives

The author in a dimly lit, solemn room, reminding views to Just Show Up.

How to Support a Grieving Friend (When You Don’t Know What to Say)

September 23, 2026

Often, life’s most difficult moments don’t provide any warning. A sudden job loss. A wrenching heartbreak. A life-changing illness. The death of someone you love. WHAM. One event can divide life into before and after. And whether you’re the person experiencing the loss—or the friend, colleague, family member or leader standing beside them—there really isn’t a guidebook for what comes next. I want to be clear from the beginning: I’m not a grief expert. I’m a grieving mom and wife.…

Image of a woman, with blur of airport in background. She appears troubled, and is struggling to stay calm when things go wrong.

Discover How to Save Your Sanity When Things Go Wrong

November 26, 2025

Disaster. Disturbance. Irritation. Inconvenience. Have you ever noticed how quickly frustration can take over when plans fall apart? A traffic jam. A delayed flight. A long line when you’re already running late. Moments like these test us—not because the situation is big, but because of how we think about it. After 30 years of coaching leaders on how their thinking shapes their results, I’ve learned something important: Our best and worst selves are often only one thought apart. And it’s…

On the left, a freaked out Leader who did not use the three-second pause to stay calm under pressure. On the right, a leader who took the three-second pause.

Triggered? This 3-Second Pause Will Save Your Credibility

October 15, 2025

When You Feel Questioned or Caught Off Guard You know that feeling when you’ve poured your time, energy, and maybe even a bit of your heart into something—and someone suddenly questions it? Questions you. You weren’t expecting it. You thought it was solid. And then – there it is – that rush of heat in your face.Your pulse quickens.Your thoughts scramble to respond.And before you realize it, you’re explaining or defending yourself. You didn’t mean to overreact—it just happened.And even…

Kids all pointing at one child who is the problem. .Depicting 5 Signs that YOU are the problem too!

5 Signs You’re the Real Problem (and How To fix It!)

October 1, 2025

Why Does Everyone Feel So Exhausting? Ever hang up the phone and think, “Why is everyone so exhausting?” Or maybe you start a new job or get a new boss—yet somehow, you keep running into the same headaches. Here’s the thing: a Harvard study found that 95% of people think they’re self-aware, but only 10–15% actually are. That’s an 80-point gap. It’s like believing you’re a brilliant driver while your glovebox is stuffed with speeding tickets. So if your life…

A female leader smiling confidently wwith a board room table behind her, suggesting she feels psychological safety in that space.

3 Ways Psychological Safety Doubles Team Motivation

September 10, 2025

The Hidden Cost of Silence in the Workplace If your employees don’t feel safe—safe to share a bold idea, raise a concern, or admit a mistake—it doesn’t matter how talented they are. You’re only getting half their potential. In my years coaching leaders, I’ve seen this pattern again and again. Leaders underestimate how much their words and actions affect others. Motivation, collaboration, productivity, performance—it’s all connected to how safe people feel to speak up. Because when employees feel shut down…

Trust and leadership go hand in hand. Pictured are a team of people, all wtih their hands one on top of another.

Are You a Trustworthy Leader? Take This Quiz! (Most Miss This One Thing)

August 27, 2025

The Connection Between Trust and Leadership Trust and leadership go hand in hand—yet many leaders overestimate just how much trust they truly have. Even well-intentioned leaders with strong track records can have blind spots that quietly erode confidence and credibility. In this article, we’ll explore Ken Blanchard’s ABCD Trust Model—Able, Believable, Connected, Dependable—and give you a short, revealing quiz to uncover where you’re strong, and where you might be losing trust without realizing it. Whether you lead a small team…

High achieving female executive leaning over computer, burned out, stuck - ready for self-leadership.

The Power of Self-Leadership: Why It Changes Everything Forever

August 6, 2025

Are You Tired of Feeling Like It’s Never Enough? Ever feel like no matter how much you achieve, it’s never enough? You’re smart, driven, and successful—yet stuck in patterns that leave you exhausted, second-guessing yourself, and disconnected from the life you thought you were building. That’s exactly what we’re exploring in this post. We’re talking about a shift that can relieve the pressure, stop overthinking, and help you break free from the trap of unrealistic expectations. You already know how…

Viewing a man with his hands on his head facing downward. He’s sitting at his highly organized desk, with neatly lined up pens and post it notes on the wall, illustrating the price he is paying for perfectionism.

Perfectionism; Why Working Harder Isn’t Making You Happier!

July 16, 2025

The Price for Perfection You’re working harder than ever. You think of everything and take care of everyone—except yourself. You have high expectations for excellence. And not only do you expect a lot from yourself, you expect it from others, too. In your relentless pursuit of excellence (others might say perfectionism), rarely do you stop long enough to acknowledge how far you’ve come or celebrate your wins along the way. Some would even describe you as intense. That’s not a…

A professional woman sitting at a desk giving feedback to a man.

Giving Effective Feedback Like a PRO!

June 11, 2025

Getting Comfortable Giving Feedback Do you dread giving feedback, especially when it involves poor performance? As a former HR professional and leadership coach, I’ve worked with countless leaders and executives who wanted to get it right—but didn’t know how. The truth is, this is a skill you can learn. With the right mindset and a little practice, giving feedback can become one of your most empowering leadership tools. There are many types of feedback you provide as a leader—recognition, coaching,…

Two hands, one passing a small green plant to another, symbolizing leadership, trust, and the transfer of culture through small, intentional actions

7 Steps to Creating a Transformative Culture That Empowers Employees

May 14, 2025

Leadership Under Pressure Creating a transformative culture can seem like a mountain to scale, especially if you feel you’re doing everything you can to be the kind of leader you want to be, and are still falling short. You’re slammed with deadlines, nonstop pressure, and a team that always needs more— but there’s only one of you. And while you’re busy handling the URGENT… the important stuff – like thinking about, yet building a transformative culture? That stays on the…

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