Meetings are a tricky topic to teach. My sense is that the advice I give sounds so simple and straightforward that it is underestimated in its power to make a huge difference. I’ll keep trying, though!

Last week, a client had a good question for me. They had been reading Stephen Covey's leadership classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and were wondering about the chapter titled "Think Win-Win". The concept made sense to them, but they were curious on my thoughts on how to actually get to win-win outcomes in a group with competing interests.

Over the long Thanksgiving weekend, I spent Friday listlessly puttering around the house. My emotional state was a mix of despair at all the free unstructured time, as well as guilt; wasn't free time the thing I have been asking for?

It can be confusing and uncomfortable to wade through our negative feelings at work and come out the other side in a constructive way. But feelings have something important to tell us, if we can capture their wisdom and not let them derail us.

As I waited this week for the creative burst that usually comes in order to write to you, I eventually realized it wasn’t going to happen. My anxiety about the post-election drama is thwarting my creativity. I can feel how there is no room in my brain for new energy and ideas. So this post is about what I did instead.

I live for the 'ah ha' moments and new connections made in the intimacy of a one-on-one coaching conversation. I want to share a story from a session this week because I think it has broad value. Let's see if I can articulate it well, because when I'm in the moment with a client it feels so real and so important, but later it's often hard to put words to.

Last week I wrote about three important coaching skills, and mentioned it was important to know when you even should step into a coaching role with a direct report. Coaching is just one role you exercise as a manager; there are others of course.

Coaching is about facilitating a conversation that allows the client to access their best thinking, make new connections, and be empowered to take new action that will move them closer to a goal or unstuck from a problem. Coaching is a skill that managers can employ to engage their direct reports.

These are harried times. The home and work boundaries are blurred and among my clients and burnout is looming just around the corner. We hear a lot about self-care and that conjures up images of massages and treating oneself to something special. But it’s the fabric of our daily existence that needs care.

I have to admit, for the longest time, I didn't really 'get' what people meant when they talked about boundaries. It's not that I didn't have any; I just couldn't wrap my head around a clear, concise definition for the word and didn't have clarity on what, conceptually, having healthy boundaries meant.