A practical resource for HR and L&D leaders to share with managers struggling with meeting overload. Your managers are drowning in meetings. You know it. They know it. And when you run engagement surveys, "too many unproductive meetings" shows up again and again....
If you’re leading HR or Learning & Development, or simply care deeply about helping talented people do their best work, you’re likely looking for practical tools that strengthen communication, reduce friction, and improve day-to-day collaboration. Over the years,...
In my Five Behaviors of a Team® workshops, many leaders and managers are surprised to find out that agreement is not a prerequisite for team commitment. But here’s the truth: Meeting someone’s individual preference isn’t necessary for their commitment. Group agreement...
You know that saying “When you’re a hammer… all you see is a nail.” Or maybe you know the song: “If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning, I’d hammer in the evening…all over this land.” We all can be hammers sometimes. Clinging to our default settings – refusing...
Many leaders and managers are suffering under the illusion that they are the only ones who can really get the job done. In my coaching 1-on-1’s, I often hear from managers who really feel like they can’t trust the people they’ve hired to do the work. “When I give work...
In my DiSCovering DiSC® workshop – nearly every skit (or panel discussion) created by various DiSC® styles includes a comic send up of BAD MEETINGS. D’s skewer the dreaded icebreaker that has NO relevance to work tasks or results. ⚡️ S’s embody the frustration of...
Trust is the foundation that makes every other aspect of teamwork possible. When trust is low, teams stall. People hesitate to ask for help, avoid hard conversations, or second-guess decisions. But when trust is present? People speak up. Disagree. Pitch in. Move fast....
Even Grammy-winning bluegrass superstar Billy Strings still takes music lessons. Despite selling out arenas and topping charts, he fears getting stuck in ‘old default ruts’ and pushes himself to keep growing. His secret? Embracing discomfort, seeking feedback, and never stopping practice. This post explores why true mastery isn’t about arriving—it’s about staying curious and loose, even when you’re already skilled enough. What skills are you currently building?
Leaders are often firefighters – caught up in emergencies, last minute requests and handling day-to-day issues and problems. “I’ll focus on the big picture later” – we say. But later never comes. Enter: Balcony time. What is “Balcony time”? Balcony time is the...
Trust gets broken. Even in healthy teams. Even with the best intentions. A deadline gets missed. A comment lands the wrong way. Someone shuts down instead of leaning in. And suddenly, there’s distance where there used to be flow. So how can we come back from that? One...
The photo below is from a recent half marathon that I ran with the intention of finishing under two hours. Afterwards my running partner looked at my data and said "Wow, your heart rate was high! You were really working!" And while it was not easy, she gave me...
Hello all, How we communicate is one of the most important things we can do as partners, friends, employees, and leaders. Poor communication creates friction in productivity and relationships. Here's a real example: My husband and I were dividing parental duties as we...
We bounce between meetings every day, at the end of each one adding something to our to-do list. From there we try to deliver, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. Constant prioritization and communication is important for yourself and for your teams. Here's...
In Everything DiSC workshops, which identifies workplace priorities, motivations, and styles for individuals, and we work on how each style relates to one another. One difference that always comes up is this: some personalities are ready to make decisions quickly and...
Hello Everyone, The virtual/hybrid work environment has not done our calendars any favors, has it? We are either back in the office and juggling hybrid/virtual/in-person meetings or we're at home, begging to jump off a call early for a bio break between eight hour...
Hi all, Last year I was coaching leaders from the energy sector, and we were talking about culture when they mentioned the "Principles for a Strong Nuclear Safety Culture" as their framework. These principles were created after the nuclear energy governing body,...
The first time I ran a marathon, I had no idea what I was doing. I remember the night before the race I had a tough time sleeping: I didn't want to miss my alarm, I was terrified to finish, and I wasn't sure if my preparation was correct. I finished the marathon, but...
As a counselor I was trained to let the person on the other side answer their own questions because they internalize the information better. Sort of like when you tell a child to NOT touch the stove, but sometimes they have to experience the heat in order to...
Leadership requires constant effort and difficulty, and it can be difficult to find the motivation needed to stay on track and make progress. "There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time" captures the essence of how leaders should approach challenges....
