When You’re Leading But They’re Not Following

As a leader of teams, families, corporations, and nonprofits, you may be doing all the “right” things, using all the “right” words and find that those you lead simply aren’t following. They seem to be disengaged, working just hard enough, or even actively moving in a...

What to Say When Confronted With Rudeness

When my son was little he’d occasionally push the boundaries of politeness with an abrasive comment or overbearing question. Most of the time my response was a fairly even-handed, “Would you like to try that again?” My intent was to point out the unacceptable behavior...

How to Use Your Words to Fight Imposter Syndrome

Familiar with imposter syndrome? It’s the sense that you’re a fraud and that your inadequacies will be discovered any minute. Next thing you know, you’ll be shunned in public, lose your job and never recover from the shame of being found a sham. There’s plenty of...

Don’t Waste One More Meeting!

Yep, it’s true, every week Americans spend an outrageous number of hours in meetings or preparing for them. Though you can’t likely cancel all the meetings on your calendar that promise boredom or frustration, you don’t have to consider all that time a waste. With a...

Want a Raise? Revise Your Words.

When you’re looking for a raise, recognition, or a little more respect, revising your words is a great place to start. The fact is, you may be an expert accountant, a brilliant programmer, or an accomplished researcher but if you don’t tell others about the impact of...