When you manage and lead other people, it’s helpful to have strategies to focus people’s thinking, get conversations going, and move toward action more quickly. What can get in the way of this is overthinking, over-answering, or people being worried about giving the...

We want our meetings and conversations to be productive. For that to happen, it helps to know how the person we’re talking with is feeling cognitively, physically, and emotionally. That can be hard, especially in virtual meetings. One way to understand where someone...

Being human means having situations and challenges that knock us off center. Many times, we know what to do next, although sometimes we need help refocusing our thinking. We want to shift from feeling at the mercy of others to remembering that we have choices. One way...

When you’re working toward something – whether a short-term project or long-term goal – you want to know that you’re making progress and achieving the outcome that matters to you. Often, though, we just do things without being clear on where we are headed. Having a...

In important conversations, we want to show up as clear and direct. We know what we want to say, and we want to make sure it lands in the way we intend. Too often, though, we hold back in our communication because we’re worried about what others will think....

Having positive working relationships can make all the difference when it comes to being productive and enjoying work. This can be hard when starting to work with new people you don’t yet know or when working with people in a new reporting structure. Working together...

Challenges – especially those that happen unexpectedly – can knock us off center. The overwhelm, fear, and frustration we might experience can stress our body and keep our thoughts focused on what we’re worried about, and we feel lost. Having a way to reorient...

How we show up is in our control – this includes our words, tone, and body language. When we use the phrase “I don’t know” too much, it conveys an energy of not caring or not having an opinion. This keeps us stuck, and it can be frustrating for others. The truth is...

When we are frustrated with a direct report or colleague, it’s easy to slip into judgement mode. In judgment mode, we make assumptions and stories about other people’s thinking, feelings, and motives. This gets in the way of the relationship and the work. Dealing with...