I want to introduce you to a tool I love that has saved my clients and me from endless struggle, offered remarkable clarity, and helped us break through situations that seemed impossible. I call it The Mirror Game. Though the principle is simple – you ask yourself, “What is this situation or person mirroring back … Read more
I tend to associate change with growth because of my intensive background in personal development. So I get excited about change, whether it’s individual or organizational growth. Years ago, when my tech job paid for me to get training in change management and process improvement, my favorite module was about managing resistance to change. Our … Read more
So far, we’ve talked about why stories are a powerful tool and how to use them best. Now we get to do the fun part – mine for gold and discover the stories that are relevant and meaningful for you and your audiences. You might be surprised by how many different types of stories you … Read more
Of the many communication tools leaders have to create impact and influence (such as inquiry, dialogue, presentations, data, research, etc.), storytelling is one of the most powerful and impactful. Storytelling is inherently creative, so to use it effectively, my college professor always said you have to “prime the pump” of your creativity. Today’s article is … Read more
Countless leadership articles and business school classes will tell you that storytelling is an important tool for influence. As both a professional storyteller and executive coach, I’ve seen this firsthand, over and over again. When used at the right moments, stories uplevel your influence, relationships, credibility, and ability to create real change. Leaders reach out … Read more
Affecting positive change at work is one of the most important things you do, regardless of your industry, role, or level. And yet, some of our most powerful levers for change aren’t the obvious ones. They aren’t about titles, levels, or formal authority. They are something quieter and, in many ways, more lasting: informal influence. … Read more
“I feel like my team is in survival mode. We have long days of meetings, and we barely hang on. We don’t often get to the stuff that really matters to us. Is there a way we can thrive?” I was interviewing a team about the most pressing topics they wanted me to facilitate at … Read more
Recently, a client of mine was promoted to a dynamic role that would 10x her impact in her industry. Her workload increased by 120% (which may be an underestimation). You can imagine that she had to get ruthless about prioritization, yes. But she also had to step back and think about everything completely differently – … Read more
I had a fabulous conversation with one of my clients today. He works at one of the world’s largest tech companies and just moved from Silicon Valley to New York City. He reflected, “I love living here. Unlike Silicon Valley, people in NYC have lives outside of work. We eat at amazing rooftop restaurants; we … Read more
Have you ever had an employee or colleague accuse you of doing, thinking, or saying something you didn’t do? If you haven’t yet, and you lead teams or an organization… don’t worry, you will. At some point in your leadership career, someone on your team will unjustly project assumptions onto you. So how do you … Read more