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I want to introduce you to Ruby Tuesday (aka RT, the Rube, Ruby T.), my almost six month old Bearded Collie puppy.

I have been Ruby Tuesday’s human companion for almost three months now. I am so lucky to have this beautiful and loving puppy in my care for this brief time and hopefully for a very long time to come. In growing up with this being I am being reminded on a daily basis about some of the skills important to being a leader.

She is reminding me and teaching me about some key leadership…

Several years ago I was one of 11 invited to contribute to the book Scrappy Women in Business: Living Proof that Bending the Rules isn’t Breaking the Law. The purpose of the book was to tell the stories about how we got to where we were in our careers. It was a great reflection on all the different paths my own career took over the years which was not a very straight path.

I call my career a portfolio career because it was a range of investments I made in me, investing in something new until I …

"The leader teaches more through being than through doing. The quality of one's silence conveys more than long speeches." - John Heider

A leader is not always the one who steps in front of the room or who is always talking. I have found the most inspirational leaders are those who step back and let others be the best that they can be. How profound this world would be if we could all just take a look at what others are best at doing and step aside and let them do it. I believe a leader is one wh…

"The key to your impact as a leader is your own sincerity. Before you can inspire others with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe." - Winston Churchill

Lately, I've been re-evaluating my belief of what a leader is and questioning whether I'm a leader or not. I think Winston Churchill in the above quote, has touched the tip of it all for me.

I think that any one of us can have an impact a…

Many years ago I owned a fulfillment company with another woman and we applied for a “Best Customer Service” award from a top-tier international company. We were one of more than a hundred companies that entered the competition, and we won third place. At the award ceremony, the late John Wooden handed out the awards. For those like me who don’t closely follow basketball, John Wooden was simply an American basketball player and coach. But for those who eat basketball statistics for breakfast, W…

One of the most critical learnings for leaders is self-awareness. Self awareness is defined as the “conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires.” How you behave and respond to external situations is governed by internal mental and emotional processes. Self-awareness uncovers thought-patterns, feelings and habits. Knowing your own operating system can lead to better decision-making and behavioral responses. When we focus on ourselves, we are able to evaluate and com…

"There's no such thing as work-life balance. There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences." - Jack Welch

“Personal power is the ability to stand on your own two feet with a smile on your face in the middle of a universe that contains a million ways to crush you.”

― J.Z. Colby

Let’s talk about personal power. I use the term power frequently in my work. Power in authenticity, power in using one’s voice, stepping into your power, and even Amy Cuddy’s power poses.

But what does power mean? Sometimes when I mention power, people, especially women, will say, “Oh no, I don’t want to be powerful.” A…

"If we would only give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life that we give to the question of what to do with a two week's vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimless procession of our busy days." ~Dorothy Canfield Fisher

The day began with sunshine and a brilliant blue sky. Being an optimist, I did not think to grab my umbrella or raincoat on my way out the door even though there was a slight chance of rain predicted.

About ten m…

What I’ve learned about finding allies to help you along the way of playing your bigger games is that some are here already, like family and friends, but for most, it is best to strategically select your networks and allies for your specific game.

The great thing about finding allies is that you already have a network where you can either find an ally, or ask if they know someone else they could introduce you to that might be an ally.

It’s the two or three degrees of separation that can help …