The (not so) Secret to Being Resilient… You’ve been pushing yourself since just after New Years and now your schedule is demanding that you kick it up another level. Here is what you need to avoid ending up exhausted, sick or even worse… With the constant demands placed on you and your own internal drive for success, you could be creating a toxic combination. Being hyper connected has rewired our brain to look for our next dopamine fix on Facebook, Instagram or in our inbox… This ‘synthetic’ dopamine fix rewires our brain and enables a distraction mindset. It you pull the social media lever too much; you could shift from barely surviving to completely burning out. Depression, mental health issues [...]

You Can't Change What You Tolerate... You’ve experienced it before, you go to a strategic offsite, maybe do a SWOT analysis and some visioning exercise. Then you update your strategy or business direction and maybe even create team norms for how you need to act differently as a team, but when you return to the office, someone falls back to bad behaviors and the team doesn’t hold them accountable…A few members start venting over lunch/drinks and then someone decides enough is enough and they decide to tell the leader. The leader then becomes the grade school teacher trying to figure out whose story is right and how to correct the situation… Thus begins the downward spiral of negativity that causes [...]

Hitting Bottom or Hitting Reset Stress is killing us… We’re addicted to our phones and in our spare moments we can be found needlessly grabbing for it. We’re addicted to that surge of adrenaline or dopamine! Combine that with the constant demands on us from our work, family, parents, children, friends, communities and we could find ourselves with our willpower depleted and our finger pointed at everyone else for what is NOT working… I found myself on the downward slide and I needed to do something about it. As the old GI Joe television series concluded each show, “Knowing is only half the battle…” I knew I needed a digital detox, some physical exercise and special time with myself and [...]

From Resistant to Resilient… Compressed timelines, business pressures and stress can destroy trust and rip a team apart. The secret to having a resilient team is to highlight what IS working before focusing on what’s NOT working. Great teams pause to celebrate successes, they appreciate the actions of others on the team and focus on what's working before focusing on what’s not working. It seems obvious, but the villainous voice in our head pushes us into when/then thinking… When we cross the goal line, then we can celebrate, but the reality is that the more you drive down the field, the further the goal line shifts into the distance. It’s completely normal, but it’s not sustainable. If you want a [...]

Managing Up! I’m in meetings all day, I’m in early and stay late, but it seems there is no satisfying my boss… What is his problem? Does he think I’m superhuman? The pace of change is only increasing and leaders of all levels are struggling to keep up. For them, it’s more about surviving than THRIVING… but one habit I’ve noticed from HEROES is that they manage up! That’s right… They manage up! Most top leaders have a massive sense of urgency and it drives them to think bigger and beyond today. They are always thinking about what’s NEXT and not about what’s NOW or what’s realistic. They’re competitive, they love a challenge, and they have to WIN. That’s not [...]

Impostor Syndrome We all have that looming voice in the back of our minds that discounts our achievements and keeps us feeling a lack of confidence/success until we achieve the next milestone. That voice is our inner villain voice and it whispers quietly in our ear creating beliefs to support it’s Rational-LIES. Seriously, why do we do this to ourselves? The answer is easy! We see everyone's life as the highlight reel they choose to convey on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. The glorious life they live and how they are basking in the sweet success that always seems to find them. Then we start to Catastrophize the endless challenges and distractions that seem to pour over us in any given [...]

"I just don't know how to get through to her. It's like we don't even speak the same language!" Sarah was frustrated with her new employee. She needed help and she didn't know which way to turn. "I invested all of this time in her, but she just doesn't get it! I try to explain our culture and the way we do things around here, but she ignores me and does it her own way. Should I get rid of her and start over or should I just keep trying to get through to her? It's so FRUSTRATING!!! I'm at my wits end.... " A BAD HIRE can cripple a small company and be devastating on morale... If Culture [...]

Life comes in waves and sometimes your ready for the next wave and sometimes your still struggling with the last one. That’s why I LOVE the NBA playoffs. I see players unleashing their hero and taming their inner villain and on a nightly basis. I LOVE watching them push their leadership limits and leveraging the strengths of their teammates to WIN the game. Watching others go big or go home is refreshing. Besides giving me a break from my own stresses, I get to watch how others handle their STRESS on the big stage. I’ve always wondered….Why to some players shine while others fade away? Does Lebron James become Michael Jordan and carry the team or does he try and [...]