DIY: Live the Life You Love with a Career Map The job market has been HOT the last year or so and yet many people feel edgy, like we are living in uncertain times. Maybe it's the summer heat or the crazy politics in Washington. who knows!  Whatever the reason, there is one thing you can do NOW to take charge and feel confident about your future. Build your own career map. Let's begin with two simple truths... 1) Only You Can Own Your Career. No one can do it for you, nor should … [Read more...]

Insights Color Energies model

Milk-Bones. Frozen fruit pops. Italian soda. Gluten-free crackers. That's all it took for me to “misplace” my husband at the supermarket recently. Shopping doesn't tend to be a team sport for us. But one day after golf recently we stopped by the store for a few things. For most of the trip we were side-by-side and in lockstep. But then, as we neared the end of our list, we went our separate ways: me to get fruit pops and him to get the Milk-Bones. And that’s where the problems … [Read more...]

What's the before and after shot for your team? Lately I've been working with teams going through tough stuff: conflict, confusion, misunderstanding, things not getting done, you name it. I wish I had before and after shots of the teams I work with – you know, like the ones you see in magazines when someone or something gets a makeover? Since I don't have photos (and wouldn't share them even if I did), here’s my take on what's in and what's out when it comes to helping your team with a … [Read more...]

Water plopping out of a bottleneck

It’s 10 PM and one of your direct reports sends you the budget updates you’ve been waiting for. He’s spent all day and into the night working on them, trying to get them as close to right as possible.  You take a quick look at the spreadsheet and frown. It’s not bad but you feel like something is missing or they’re not as complete as you’d hoped for.  It’s not really telling the story you wanted. And the formatting is just ok, even if he did use the standard template.  So you … [Read more...]

One million air miles, two continents and at least 14 places called “home,” 7 schools, 5 careers, and 1.2 million emails. This is the story of my life, up until now.  If someone shared these stats with me and I didn’t know who they belonged to, I’d have said, “Now there’s someone who has no idea what she wants to do and can’t settle down.”  And yet, if you ask just about anyone who knows me, they’d say I’m one of the most decisive and stable people they know (or at least I … [Read more...]