Insights and Wisdom: Explore Our Business Coaching Blogs

Other duties as assigned!!!

Some of the most interesting roles I had during my consulting career were when I took on cross-functional roles that fell into the category of extra duties as assigned…

You don't know more today than you knew yesterday!

The day I was promoted to an executive role, two of my mentors took me out to lunch..

Don't be a lazy leader!

It’s the time of year when lazy leadership starts to surface. We are in Q4, and people are realizing targets may be missed….

You are building the wrong skills!

“Right now, I will take any client; I just need revenue.”  I have heard this many times from new business owners, and it always makes me cringe…

I am so frustrated!!!

If you are frustrated with an employee, boss, or friend, try to (temporarily) remove the emotion and figure out why you care. What is the real impact? When we are mad or frustrated,…

When do you start coaching?

I frequently get asked when is the right time to engage. I wanted to offer a model that I often described but recently codified. The Continuum goes from left to right…

This morning, I had a great conversation

This morning, I had a great conversation about the balance of flexibility and the benefits of getting to know people in person…

You have a choice when a mistake is made

I often hear leaders talk about how their mistakes led to failures that taught them the lessons they needed to achieve success…

When do you start coaching?

I frequently get asked when is the right time to engage. I wanted to offer a model that I often described but recently codified. The Continuum goes from left to right…

Looking for a new Job? Better develop patience.

When looking for a new role, the hardest part of the whole process can be that you are not in control. You cannot control what your potential employer…

Leading isn’t about being the smartest person in the room.

I worked for many people when I was part of big corporations. I learned something from every one of them. Unfortunately, in a rare few cases,…

I am so mad!

We all find ourselves frustrated with people. Frequently, that frustration is built to the point that we want to take action. We may want to fire off that nasty email, yell at them,

If you feel like you have a time management problem

If you feel like you have a time management problem, you likely have a problem with a lack of clarity with your goals….

ow do you decide when to stop each day?

Odds are, if you are reading this post, you are in a never-done job. Most professional jobs fall into this category. I am sorry to say …

Define (Micro) Successes

In coaching, we always like to have goals. However, achieving success comes through countless small steps. Sometimes, we can get so focused on these small..

Do you really want feedback?

“That was really great, wasn’t it? ” (Speaker) – They weren’t – nothing new.
“What do you love most about that?”

A strategy without execution is just an idea.

I caught up with a friend recently, and he said this to me, and it struck a nerve. I love to brainstorm and come up with ideas…

When do you start coaching?

With Memorial Day behind us, kids out of school, and days longer, summer is clearly here. Part of how I know summer has started is the higher frequency of..

Why do you work?

Why do you work? I joined fellow career coach Maryann Lombardi to discuss its importance.
Here is the link to the full conversation. https://lnkd.in/efsnS3XC

I am frustrated, I would expect…!!!

I was recently reminded how hard it can be to manage young professionals. This can be especially challenging for those of us who have been in the workforce…

Start retiring now!!!

In my last post, I mentioned creating a vision of what your retirement might look like. Like any change to happen, you need the vision (Check), the first steps, and…

Will I ever retire?

Last week, I caught up with a long-term friend. He  indicated he’d enjoyed reading my posts on LinkedIn, but he was waitin… for me to post something…

Take a Vacation; it’s a sign of a healthy business.

I was at a networking meeting this morning. One of the discussion topics was, would you rather have 4-day work weeks or 4 weeks off…

I want to be ignored!

If you want your important (but non-urgent) message to be ignored, send it on Friday afternoon. If you really want it to be ignored..

Looking for a new role; know what you want first.

hen running consulting practices, I never asked someone why they were leaving; I would ask why they accepted the first phone call from a recruiter…

Finding the Ideal Role

I often discuss the value of having the ideal role. When we are in a role we love, we find it energizing. Four things need to happen to find your ideal role….

What are you moving towards?

Often, when I first connect with people who are considering a career transition, they talk about how unhappy they are in their current role…

What is urgent?

I am always chatting with folks about the challenges of never-done jobs. I have yet to use that phrase.. with someone and not have them nod. 

Taking Control of your Career

An HR/Coach friend of mine works at a firm going through a major restructuring. She was marveling at the number of leaders…

What brings you energy?

As someone who focuses on executive career management, I have often asked people when they were happiest at work…

Never miss a chance to meet in person!

Several times in the last week I’ve had the opportunity to meet people in person. In one case I met with a client in person for the first time…

Always be growing!

Professional service firms thrive on growth and struggle when stagnating. This growth creates new experiences for the team members (employees) allowing…

No Seriously, why do you work?

Why is this such a hard question? I was having a conversation with someone who had gone through some pretty dramatic career…

Don't be a barnacle!

Barnacles are sessile, meaning they can’t move. They attached themselves to one thing and live there for life. The first time I heard this was from…

Why do I work?

It seems like a simple question, but a deep dive can be really insightful. The most common answer I get is…

Take your vacation! Just ask to move that deadline!

Most people I know in professional services work best with deadlines. It reminds me of something my…

Taking control of your career, what does it really mean?

We have all heard someone say, “You need to take control of your career.” This, like so many industry phrases…  

Make it real!

Many leaders complain that younger generations don’t want to work as hard as they do (or did.)

What does your team aspire to?

As leaders, we need to work on building future leaders, so we are replaceable, but does our team want to replace us?

Prove it - Be Replaceable!

If successful leaders need to be building towards being replaceable, how can they start? 

Be Replaceable!

Professional service firms thrive on growth and struggle when stagnating.

You’re not alone!

I had breakfast with a mentor last week. When we get together one story always flashes back to me.

That’s not what I meant!!!

There is a communication model that I love. It goes like this: First, there is what we want to communicate; Second,…

An easy guide to creating chaos!

When communicating a change helping people understand all three is a way to create understanding avoid creating…

What small change can you make today?

I was recently speaking to a startup business owner who I just met. He was working 80 hours a week and…

Feeling overwhelmed, leverage a mentor!

I frequently use the phrase never done careers when talking with those in professional services.

My boss isn't a leader!

This weekend I got a text in response to one of my posts where I encouraged leaders to not just tell but to…

Relax, Relax, RELAX, RELAX!!!!

My son’s former soccer coach used scream this at the boys when they were playing. The irony was not lost on the parents.

See the future!

I got a call from a colleague yesterday. I could hear the stress in his voice when we first connected….

FOMO it's not just for millennials.

I’ve been talking to several executives who are considering career transitions. There are a few common themes…

You can’t be an expert in everything!

Last week, I wrote about that just because you can do anything doesn’t mean you should. 

I can do this myself...but should I?

We often taught from an early age we can do anything we put our mind to. For many good reasons…

Take the break.

The last couple of days have made me think about time slightly differently. As a person in a never done career, I live by my calendar.

Find the gift!

Recently, I took a training course that focused on mental fitness. One of the sage techniques I learned was when something didn’t…

Still skiing at 75

[I am nowhere near 75.] As some of you know we go skiing over the holidays each year.

My 16-year-old made me a better driver.

We now have a new driver in the house. My 16-year-old son got his license last month.

Congratulations on a successful 2024!

I have never really made new year’s resolutions. It’s not that I hate them, I just don’t find them inspiring.

Don't tell my boss.

I did something yesterday; I haven’t done in a long time. It was supposed to be my last day of work for the year…

Give a gift to yourself.

Theme #2 from last weeks goal discussion: “I want to find better work balance and spend more time with my family.”

I need to stop saying yes to everything.

I just got of a great ProVisor networking group call hosted by Ginny Cascio Bonifacino and we were talking about…

Want to improve how you introduce yourself? Ask a friend.

Even though they constantly introduce themselves, many people I talk to are not comfortable with it.

Not sure how to show someone they are valued?

Over my career I have worked for countless bosses, I have learned something from each boss.

True leaders never go to a meeting alone!

When was the last time you went to a meeting alone? If you are in a professional services role every time…

When were you happiest in your career?

When I start working with a new client, I almost always start with this question. So far, every person has been…

Go sailing!

When I was younger, my father talked about loving to sail. He always placed sailing in a sailboat as superior to motoring ins speed boats.

It is never the wrong thing to do the right thing!!!

One of many Ted Lasso quotes I love. I recently have had the opportunity to catch up with a number of people who…

Don't confuse your targets with goals!!!

I was connecting with a long time friend the other day and he was complaining about how it had made clear to…

I should write my goals for next year.

We both know that’s not going to happen. Reframe it, I want to write my goals for next year.

Happy New Year.

Not really, but it happened this week, the first person mentioned waiting to do something until the new year. The logic, we are almost…

‘Should’ may be the enemy

I frequently think ‘should’ is the enemy of actions. Several times in the last couple days of coaching, I have heard the word…

What are you stuck on today?

There’s a model I use to get unstuck. What I love about it is that it doesn’t really matter if it’s a big or small problem, short-term or long-term…

The hidden benefit of good strategies; they create hope!

When you are in a never done career, it wears on you, and you can begin to feel like you are never going to catch up.

Hope is not a strategy!

I’ve heard this said countless times and probably said it myself a number of times as well. However, I do think hope has a role to play in strategy.

How can I help?

I have a challenge for you today. If your life is at all like mine, people frequently come to you with complaints…

How do you know when it is time to move on in the job?

I was doing some pro bono coaching yesterday and during the session the woman I was coaching asked,

The value of goals

The value of goals in a never done career. Figuring out your professional goals is a challenge and may…

Ending the Never Done Cycle.

Ending the Never Done Cycle. If we aren’t going to feel trapped in a never done career, we need to be selective in what we say yes to.

How do you wrestle control back from a never done job?

It all starts with values. I had what I thought was going to be today’s post entirely written when I realized…

Why are we never done?

One root cause is this little piece of advice. “Find a way to say yes.” A piece of advice that was shared with many of us early on in our professional…