The Drip, Drip, Drip of Time and How We Use It At Work

By | Executive Coaching, Leadership, Management | One Comment

My husband and I look at the world somewhat differently and, because of that, there are many topics that we have almost unconsciously agreed not to talk about.  Yankees vs. Mets to give but one example.  We are both smart enough to know that you don’t change someone’s mind by arguing and we share so many core values that we’ve been happily married for a very long time with just a handful of topics off-limits. When I stumble onto a new, off-limits topic I am always surprised.  Many, many years ago he was in a rare, down mood and asked me, “What is the meaning of life?” I quickly answered without thinking about it, “Life is short and then you die,”…

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Failures of Volunteer Leaders

By | Executive Coaching, Leadership, Management | No Comments

A while ago I wrote about how grateful I was that a valued employee was brave enough to tell me that he didn’t think I was doing a very good job (The Crone in the Corner Office, July 14, 2016: “Hearing Loss at the Top of the Mountain.”).  Many readers wrote to me privately since that essay appeared, asking for advice on giving their boss feedback.  Oh, the awful boss stories I’ve heard, leading me to write again about how we must take responsibility for ourselves and our own issues (The Crone in the Corner Office, September 8, 2016: “Does Your Boss Need Therapy, Coaching, Miss Manners or Meds? How About You?”). Clearly, I have grossly underestimated the degree of hearing…

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I Am NOT Retired!

By | Executive Coaching, Gender issues in work, Leadership, Management | 3 Comments

It happened again last week at my regular chiropractor appointment.  I’ve been suffering from a sciatica flare-up and the back cracking seems to work.  My doctor who happens to live across the street from me asked me how much walking I did the day before, given that I was groaning just rolling off the table.  When I told him my Fitbit recorded upward of 16,000 steps, he exclaimed, “You sure stay busy for being retired!”  Who ever said anything about being retired? But I hear it all the time from family and friends, who murmur in somewhat suppressed amusement about my many hobbies and the ways I find to “stay busy.” At the same time, my coaching practice is rife with…

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Living Large

By | Executive Coaching, Gender issues in work, Leadership, Management | One Comment

I reached my current height when I was in fifth grade and all of 11 years old.  I still carry a vivid memory of going out trick or treating with my friends the year before, towering over them, and some dad saying to me, “You should be ashamed of yourself, begging for candy with the little kids at your age!”  I was ashamed after that, feeling wrong in my 5’7” self. Unfortunately “feeling wrong” in your skin is an all too common feeling among young women, even after decades of women’s advancement in education and their subsequent rise in the working world.  There is a pervasive cultural message that a woman’s value is closely linked to her appearance.   Young women today…

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