A Heart-Centered View

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Anyone who knows me knows I am a relationship – first person, but I know I’m
not unique. Many of you are passionate about good connections, collaborations, and relationships.

Today, as we celebrate the holiday of love, no matter your title or role, I wonder…

Do you bring the spirit of love into your work?

Do you try to balance your logical approach with a heart-centered one?

Do you incorporate the values of compassion and appreciation into how and WHY you connect with others?

Even a Hallmark holiday can help us calibrate ourselves to these core qualities. Whether for the day, a week, or even just a moment. Especially a challenging one.

In fact, when you are faced with that choice-point today, might I suggest you ask “What would love (compassion/appreciation/connection) do?” And go from there.

I’ve had a couple of those already today… not as easy as it sounds, but worth it. 💞

Coaching Fails When It’s Based in Fear

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The CFO of a large manufacturing company recently contacted me to coach his very tenured finance executive, “Marie.” In our chemistry discussion, Marie came across as highly-skilled, somewhat reserved, very perfectionistic  – pretty much what her boss had described. The CFO had also shared Marie wasn’t very engaged with her team, had stark rough edges, and despite feedback was struggling to motivate her reports. In the midst of their big organizational changes and to be successful in her role, these behaviors were crucial. Pretty typical beginning of a coaching assignment. Yet as the contract was passed back to me, the fine print revealed a shiny red flag. Read more

Your Team May Be Avoiding You

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During my 360-degree feedback debrief with Bob, at one point he appeared visibly upset. As with most high-performing leaders, Bob is his own worst critic, and he was stuck on the “constructive” comments at the back of the report. They had completely stopped him in his tracks. His team referred to him as “unapproachable.” They went as far as to say that they often “walked on eggshells” around him, and were “reluctant to bring him problems.” This entirely shocked and deflated him because it was the complete opposite of who he believes he is, how he wants to be seen as a leader, and what he needs to lead. Read more