As women, we face a unique challenge when it comes to public speaking: the double bind of being expected to project both authority and warmth, confidence and relatability. It's an unfair and often unconscious bias, but one that can leave us feeling like we're constantly walking a tightrope between being "too much" and "not enough."
I was five years into my executive coaching practice when I was invited to lead a workshop on “Coaching Skills for Human Resource Leaders” at a global conference. As the room filled up with participants, I identified a few colleagues who had already been coaching professionally for more than a decade. I felt self-doubt start
This post is co-authored by Loren Margolis, MSW, leadership faculty at the State University of New York and executive coach at Training & Leadership Success, a global leadership development firm. I had just completed my third year at my former company and was having my annual performance review. I shared my accomplishments with my manager
When my daughter Sophie was six years old, she confessed to me that she trusted me the second most in the whole world. I was both flattered and, I admit, a little confused. Who did she trust more than me? Her dad? Her grandma? Her twin brother Jake? And when I asked her, “Who do
“We couldn’t do this without you.” “You’re our rock star.” “Don’t ever even think about leaving, ok?” If you’ve ever heard one or more of these from your boss, you probably felt pretty good. Being seen as indispensable at work can make you feel important and significant, and give you a (perhaps misguided) sense of
As a small-business owner for the past 20 years, I have found one activity equally frustrating and fulfilling: following up with prospects and clients. "Hey there ... I'm just checking in." "I haven't heard from you in a while ... " "Are we in a fight?" It's frustrating because sometimes I don't hear back, leaving me
As a frequent speaker at conferences and retreats, I am used to having a photographer in the room taking pictures. And for many years, I was also used to making this quip when my photo was being snapped: “I’m glad I put on my Spanx,” referring to the restrictive undergarment that aims to smooth out
I had just finished facilitating a workshop for a Fortune 500 company in New York City and was saying goodbye to the participants. Two women from the group stayed after to chat with me, until one of them looked at her watch and said, “We need to go right now, or we will miss our
In December, I co-authored an article in Harvard Business Review aimed directly at coaches that answered some of the questions that my coaching colleagues and I are asked every single week about how to start and build a successful coaching business. We were thrilled with the attention this article received. What It Really Takes to
Giving performance feedback is a part of every people leader’s job. And yet, in my work with these leaders and teams, I’ve found that they often have negative mental models of what a feedback conversation is supposed to look like. Those pre-conceived notions can act as a barrier to giving timely, helpful, and honest performance feedback. Part
