As an executive coach, I’ve been told more times than I can count:“Use more keywords—productivity, performance, ROI. Talk about leadership impact, business growth, and measurable outcomes.” And sure, I wrote ...

How often does a dream come true? For me, it did when both my husband and I received job offers from Microsoft - The Mecca for tech professionals at that ...

Rebecca, a 45-year-old senior leader at a manufacturing company, recently received some familiar-sounding feedback from her boss: “You need to delegate more and think more strategically.” It’s the kind of ...

Carol, a senior leader in healthcare, recently transitioned from HR to strategy. She felt out of her depth. In leadership meetings, she hesitated to share her opinions, lacking the confidence ...

HR leaders in startups often find themselves caught between compliance and chaos, strategy and firefighting. As veteran HR leader Gretchen Meyer puts it: "Balancing the need for sustainable talent systems ...

Randy, a Vice President at a Fortune 200 company, has been a superstar performer since his early career days. However, as his responsibilities have grown, he is overwhelmed by how ...

I was chatting with Andrea, a senior director at a major corporation in Seattle. Brilliant and hardworking, her resume spoke volumes about her accomplishments. Yet, in this new role, she ...

A senior engineering leader reached out to me for coaching. His credentials were impeccable—multiple graduate degrees from prestigious universities and an impressive professional track record. Yet, he was told to ...

Susan (not her real name), a director at a manufacturing company, found herself navigating a common yet delicate workplace challenge. She pushed back on a request from a partner team; ...

Did you know that most New Year’s resolutions don’t make it past spring? According to a Forbes Health/OnePoll survey, the average resolution lasts just 3.74 months, with 65% of people ...

Crochet and knitting have become my cherished hobbies, a comforting ritual during the holiday season. Growing up, I often watched my mom knit cozy sweaters for us and other family ...

A typical "water cooler" conversation around this time of the year is the New Year's resolution. Of course, my standard answer used to be "be more organized," which hardly happened! ...

Julia was a director of engineering at a Fortune 500 company, a mother of two, and a caregiver for her aging mother. Her life was a whirlwind of work deadlines, ...

As the year winds down, many of us find ourselves juggling last-minute deadlines, holiday preparations, and the anticipation of spending quality time with loved ones. Amid this busy season, carving ...

Have you ever worked on a leadership goal like improving your executive presence or a personal goal such as eating healthy? The usual advice on achieving goals is to "break ...

Managing family visits during the holiday season presents a delightful yet demanding task. Juggling multiple family members' diverse opinions, needs, and desires can be an energy-draining experience for hosts and ...

Over the years, through my coaching work with tech leaders and executives, I’ve helped them uncover hidden misconceptions and limiting behaviors that often hold them back. Many of these leaders ...

The U.S. presidential election, a defining moment that shapes the nation's future, has tested the resilience of Americans in profound ways. Whether viewed through the lens of political upheaval, economic ...

A middle schooler in Bangladesh has been using ChatGPT as a study aid. A senior leader at a top-tier organization in the U.S. has been investing in AI integration across ...

Psychological safety has become a prevalent concept, encompassing the feeling of safety individuals experience when sharing their thoughts and feelings without risking their status. While this is often attributed to ...

Soren was recently promoted to a new leadership role, managing some of his former peers. One of them had also been a contender for the same position. Determined to excel, ...

"Set a boundary.""Just say no.""No is a complete sentence." Every time I hear this well-meaning advice, I cringe. It sounds simple, but taken literally, it feels like I’m being told ...

Peter has been feeling down for the past few days after learning he didn’t get the promotion he was counting on. The disappointment hit him hard, leaving him with a ...

During a meeting, Prakash, a Vice President, expressed frustration with his team’s lack of progress. This cost him a promotion. Theresa, a senior developer at a tech firm, was encouraged ...

Elizabeth was a director-level leader at a large tech company. She had a high sense of responsibility. Most of her time was spent fixing problems created by others at work ...

Pastor Rick Warren said on The Oprah Show, "Everyone lives at one of three levels in life: Survival, Success, and Significance." Survival—You live from week to week, looking forward to ...

A few months ago, I met Megan, a high-achieving corporate leader in her early forties, happily married with two young kids. Despite her stellar success, she felt like she was ...

Recently, I had a session with Ana, a highly accomplished Vice President at a corporate firm. Ana looked exhausted. She understands she's been overworking, leaving no room for rest and ...

Ron, an engineering manager, faced a persistent challenge with one of his direct reports, Jackson. Jackson's behavior left Ron questioning his motivation and even his competency. Despite Jackson’s belief that ...

George, a VP at a Fortune 500 company, had a reputation for being insightful yet reserved. Despite his analytical prowess and humble personality, he often found himself silent during crucial ...

In a recent coaching session, Tatiyana, a senior director at a leading global engineering company, opened up about a pressing issue: "I'm grappling with two primary challenges. Firstly, it's incredibly ...

In today's ever-evolving landscape, effective listening has emerged as a crucial skill for leaders. Yet, it remains a challenge for many. What stands in the way? While lack of trust, ...

Susan has been a valued member of the company for quite some time. However, the arrival of a new boss has brought unexpected challenges. This leader, who is reserved and ...

Phillip recently got a new assignment involving leading a change initiative in a new region. While very excited about the career growth opportunity, he soon realized that the team was ...

In this "growth mindset" and "learn it all" era, it's often easy to be driven by our inner critic in disguise of all those positive things. "What do you mean"? ...

Vinod, a director-level leader in Tech, had been searching for a job for some time without much success. Perplexed, he sought my advice to determine what else he could do ...

Are you an ambitious mid-career professional in tech, STEM, or any high-paced culture? Do you long to make a meaningful, fulfilling impact? Many, like you, sometimes wonder what else they ...

People come to coaching for many reasons. Some want to lead a significant change management initiative, while others want to improve team productivity or develop leadership skills for the next ...

No one wakes up thinking, "I will ruin the day; I will create trouble today." But even when everyone on the team is decent, stress, conflicts, and drama happen. I ...

When we hear advice like "turn setbacks into growth experiences," we often dismiss it as cliché or unrealistic for ourselves. However, a few years ago, I was in an embarrassing ...