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After writing my blog about leadership lessons I learned from the 2019 U.S.A. Women’s Soccer Team, I kept reflecting on the impact of women sports teams and their coaches which led me down the path of my first athletic team coach. 

I attended a co-ed Catholic grammar school in Chicago where sports were generously offered to the boys from early on: football, basketball, softball, floor hockey. Girls, of course, were offered cheerleading for the boys' teams. 

As one of the male alum said,  “The …

“Eureka! - I have found it!”  - Archimedes

I don’t know about you, but I really love those “Eureka!” moments.  I love the rush and the hit of dopamine I get when I realize I have just brilliantly solved a problem, imagined something very creative or found the answer to a question that I’ve been noodling and loosing sleep over.

It’s these moments of insight that I’ve always wanted to understand and recreate and now I do and I can…at least a little bit. 

Insight is a very different process from…

When people would ask me “Did you see that soccer game?” I would always say, “I have never watched a soccer game in my entire life.”

I can say that no longer. I watched the entire final game of USA vs. The Netherlands. USA won 2:0. I watched because I was told about the strength, teamwork and the talent this team displays. Although I have no idea what the rules of the game are or how the heck soccer players can run constantly for 45 minutes at a time and do it twice, I knew I was witnessing a g…

Here’s why I will be a good person. Because I listen. I cannot speak, so I listen very well. I never interrupt; I never deflect the course of the conversation with a comment of my own. People, if you pay attention to them, change the direction of one another’s conversations constantly. It’s like having a passenger in your car who suddenly grabs the steering wheel and turns you down a side street.

For instance, if we met at a party and I wanted to tell you a story about the time I needed to get a …

There are so many things I need to do but find that I get distracted so much easier than I ever have before.  I lay out all the things I need to finish that one project that must be done by tomorrow and next thing I know I’m looking at my Washington Post horoscope for the day and then I’m looking for the book I told a client I’d send her and then I’m looking for the invite to the wedding I didn’t respond to…ARGHHHH!  

No wonder I get exhausted!   

I’ve been in conversations recently to find ou…

I was ready. I walked on stage and confidently took center stage. I stopped, looked out into the audience took a deep breath and began my talk.  

The lights were low enough I could see the faces and expressions of my audience. I read that Brené Brown asks for the lights to be lit at 50% of capacity so she is able to see the faces of her audience. I figure if it’s good enough for Brené, it’s good enough for me.  

I began my talk. As I usually do, I focused on the individual faces in the audienc…

Many years ago, I sought the advice of a career counseling company. I had been a full-time employee in the business world, working in technology. At that time, I was looking for another job with a large company in the same field. My career coach suggested that I attend a workshop for entrepreneurship. I was exploring different things and I thought, “Why not?”  

The facilitator of that workshop said something to me that had a great impact on me. He said,

“Don’t look for the same type of work …

In my last blog, Finding Truth in Feedback, I talked about a key lesson I learned a few years ago when I attended a yearlong intensive leadership program with 23 other participants led by Co-Active Training Institute. This program included four residential retreats as well as several homework projects that all focused on observing and learning about leadership impact. 

After writing about this lesson it reminded me of another one that was even more difficult to learn from and even more valuable…

A few years ago I attended a yearlong intensive leadership program with 23 other participants led by Co-Active Training Institute. This program included four residential retreats as well as several homework projects that all focused on observing and learning about leadership impact.

I found this program to be extremely useful in helping me recognize and value my personal leadership styles and strengths. During this period, I developed the capacity to be effective in a wide range of circumstance…

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, Wo…