Woofs to the Wise

On November 12th, Dan Gottlieb, host of NPR’s Voices in the Family, interviewed columnist Mary Monica Mitchell (writer of popular etiquette columns) about her new book “Woofs to the Wise: Learning to Lick at Life and Chew on Civility,” in which lessons are shared about manners, civility, health and common social interactions … and way,… Continue reading…

The Courage to Speak Up: The Anti-Bystander Position

What does it take to act with courage? What does it take to be the anti-bystander — the one who speaks up rather than stay silent? The officials at Penn State University have modeled the opposite of courage. The cowardly Nittany Lions top executives deemed it too risky to speak the truth and “out” one… Continue reading…

What Makes for Good Leadership

In 2008, Gallup scientists reported on a research project that surveyed more than one million work teams, conducted more than 20,000 in-depth interviews with leaders, and spoke with more than 10,000 “followers” around the world asking people why they followed the important leaders in their life. Results of their research launched a new perspective on… Continue reading…

Learning From Failure and Living in Resilience

As a leadership development coach, I was thrilled when I noticed that April’s Harvard Business Review was entirely devoted to the topic of failure — how to understand it, learn from it, and recover from it. It spoke about resilience — the capacity to rebound from failures and disappointments — and the importance of speaking to ourselves from… Continue reading…

Leadership Advice: Just Be Yourself

Learning to value our “real” self and cultivate our strengths is easier said than done, especially in a world that constantly sends us messages that our natural self is inadequate. Yes, I know that marketers of hair products, clothing and diet programs are not thinking about their impact on leadership in the workplace, but that… Continue reading…

What If There Was No Pressure?

Once a soccer mom, always a soccer mom! How else do I explain organizing my lunchtime in front of ESPN, beaming in smile as the US Women’s World Cup team beats France to win a chance for the championship trophy in the finals? The years of cheering and schlepping as my youngest daughter (now a… Continue reading…