"This project is the worst ever!" "I have a million things on my to do list." "This is taking a ton of time." "Learning this new software is killing me!" "If this meeting doesn't end soon, I'm going to die." Do any of these phrases sound familiar? Have you ever found...

Have you ever wondered why some people's careers simply seem to skyrocket? Or, wondered how some people seem to get more attention and opportunities than others? Have you ever wondered if there was some sort of way you could launch yourself onto the fast-track? If so,...

Passive-aggressiveness, sometimes known as the "nice-nasty," is communication (behavior) that is "nicety-nice" on the surface. However, the underlying message or intent is mean, rude, nasty, and/or manipulative. It is sugar-coated vitriol. Being on the receiving end...

For decades I have been advocating professionals to stop saying "I'm sorry" and replace it with "I apologize." This small change can make a big difference because: We often say "I'm sorry" out of habit and wind up apologizing for things for which we have no business...

I was having lunch with a few colleagues the other day. We were discussing our goals and plans for our respective businesses and one colleague, a colleague I also consider a good friend, admitted one of the things she needed to focus on “wasn’t really very...

We've all heard the adage "what gets rewarded gets repeated." As leaders, giving intentional praise is one of the easiest, if not the easiest, ways to reward employees. Turns out, this is also a way to improve the performance of your not so stellar employees. The key...

Would you like to be taken more seriously by your leader? Are you looking to enhance your influence and make a bigger impact on your organization’s goals and objectives? Are you seeking to garner the attention, authority, and respect you have earned? Would you like...

As a leader, have you unleashed the power of yes with your team? In particular, are you offering unequivocal “yeses” as often as possible? Every leader or manager knows that saying “yes” to an idea, proposal, or request can positively impact morale, engagement, and...

Most effective and successful leaders look for their team members to: Take initiative. Be accountable. Be problem solvers as opposed to problem pointer-outers. Take calculated or measured risks when appropriate. Be future focused and not dwell too much in the past (or...

Pessimists, whiners, chronic complainers, and other negative people can be draining to have as team members or colleagues. And, they can be particularly draining if you are their supervisor.   When I conduct training sessions or breakouts for meetings, leaders often...