Blog
A Holiday Ritual That Changed How My Family Connects
The wrapping paper is about to fly. The kids are buzzing with anticipation. Everyone's ready to tear into the presents. And I'm about to do the thing that makes my nephews groan… ask three questions. Several years ago, I started a holiday ritual with my extended family. After our Christmas...
How Self-Aware Leaders Turn Feedback Into Their Greatest Strength
"No one wants to tell me anything. They say I'm intimidating." I've heard this from more leaders than I can count. And when I sit down with their teams, the employees tell me the same thing: "We don't feel safe bringing up problems. Our ideas get dismissed. The leader gets...
Is Your Childhood Conflict Pattern Showing Up in Your Leadership?
You're in a tense meeting. A project has derailed. Emotions are running high. How do you respond? Do you take control and demand compliance?Avoid the conversation altogether?Smooth things over with excessive reassurance?Crack a joke to lighten the mood? What most leaders don't realize is, the way you handle conflict today...
The Uninvited Guests at Your Holiday Table (And How to Handle Them)
You're sitting at the Thanksgiving table. The turkey is carved. The conversation is flowing. But there's a heaviness in the air that no one's naming. Your brother made that comment about your job… again. Your uncle is steering every conversation toward politics. Your mother-in-law's passive-aggressive remarks are landing with precision....
The 3 C’s of Difficult Conversations: How to Stay Grounded When the Conversation Gets Tough
As a leader, Ben knew he needed to address Bob's abrasive behavior. Bob had a pattern of dismissing colleagues' ideas in meetings, sending curt emails that left people feeling belittled, and making sarcastic comments that created tension across the team. Ben found every reason to avoid the conversation. He anticipated...
The Culture You Tolerate Is the Culture You Create
What do your employees feel when they walk into work each day? Sal walked through the front door of his office and immediately felt the tension. A familiar knot formed in his stomach as he headed to his desk. While many of his coworkers were friendly, he dreaded interacting with...
What an Airline Captain Taught Me About Building Team Cohesion
Our plane had just arrived late, making our departure likely to be delayed. Several passengers were going to miss their connecting flights. You could feel the tension in the air. Then something unexpected happened. The captain, a woman who clearly knew how to lead, came out to the gate, took...
Choose Your Mindset Before Addressing Employee Behavior: An Emotional Intelligence Approach
As a leader, to what degree do you stay grounded and nonreactive before addressing employee behavior situations? Imagine this, your employee Jeremy has consistently been late for work and his demeanor has increasingly become more irritable and unpredictable over the past few weeks. When he first started with your company...
How To Build Inner Resources, Resolve, and Resiliency Through Emotional Intelligence
What inner resources, resolve, and resiliency will help you cope with demands, distractions, and disappointments at work? During one of my workshops, I asked managers to share their experiences with the challenges they face in today’s workplace. Their answers revealed the emotional toll of unresolved organizational conflict: "We are expected...
What Emotionally Healthy Leaders Have in Common with Great Parents
Emotional intelligence in leadership isn't just about managing your own emotions, it's about creating an environment where others feel safe, seen, and valued. As we observe Emotional Intelligence Awareness Month this October, it's worth reflecting on a powerful parallel: emotional intelligence in leadership mirrors the essential qualities of effective parenting....