“Would I rather be feared or loved? Umm…easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.” – Michael Scott, The Office Though Michael Scott may not be what is traditionally called a “great leader,” he may have some insight into how to best lead a team. A recent study by...Read More

How we communicate has a direct impact on our career success and is the most visible sign of our leadership presence. Study after study confirms this. I’ve seen it play out many times both as a coach to C-level and rising leaders, and in the organizations I worked in earlier in my career. Our use...Read More

I spent last week with 78 amazing women from 24 countries, 10 states, and four continents. We gathered at Yale University’s Law School for the 2015 Women’s Campaign School at Yale (www.wcsyale.org), where we focused on how to get elected to office at all levels, both as candidates and as leaders committed to helping other...Read More

I’m bothered by the idea of ‘fake it till you make it’ – seems insincere, not smart, not sustainable.  But in Lean In Sheryl Sandberg cites research done in 2010, and published in Psychological Science, that says there’s some science behind this strategy. “One study found that when people assumed a high-power pose (for example,...Read More

Think back to your last performance review. What do you remember most — the feedback on what you did really well or the feedback on what you didn’t do so well?  If you’re like 81% of the workforce, you focus more on your weaknesses and don’t give much thought to how you can use more...Read More

Lots of smart people believe they shouldn’t have to say how good they are — people should just get it; their results should speak for themselves.  Many of these same folks can’t stand the idea of touting their accomplishments.  It seems like bragging to them, completely self-serving and unnecessary.  And besides that, it takes time...Read More

Everyone I know (including me) makes New Year’s resolutions on January 1. But research shows that nearly 80% of all new-year’s resolutions are broken by January 31. Many of my executive coaching clients are committed to making 2013 their best year yet, and are committed to doing the hard work to make it happen. I...Read More

Last week I talked with a group of women leaders about what differentiates a great leader from a good leader. Not surprisingly lots of things were mentioned — many focused on a leader’s ability to set and enroll others in her vision and communicate credibility and connect powerfully with others. But the thing that got...Read More