Recently, we hosted brunch, and someone asked how, after living in Austin for only six months, were we able to throw our first annual ‘Naughty or Nice’ holiday party and have 40 curated guests show up. It comes down to masterful networking. I arrived in Austin, with two goals: To become part of the business community and to make friends. Before Austin, we’d…
Two causes: Hypothermia temperatures last month and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Effect: Nothing better to do than pour a glass of wine, and reflect the shit out of 2022. So I lit enough candles to burn the house down and disavowed the need to meet anyone's expectations over the holidays (or any time, really.) First question: Did I like Knives Out 2?…
Developing Executive Presence Executive presence is the collection of skills and traits that allows leaders to lead others in order to become successful. It is intuitive and can be difficult to pin down, but you will know it once you see it or feel it. This is a main focus of my executive coaching practice. And what I'm seeing in remote work environments and…
https://youtu.be/H-oYlhpii6Y Seattle, WA – Aug 2, 2018 – LeadershipLab19 (LL19), an invitation-only, exclusive peer community for growth-minded emerging executives on the trajectory to be the thought leaders and industry shapers of the future, opened its application process today for the second LL19 cohort launching October 18, 2018. Each cohort is highly-curated. Applicants must be nominated by his or her CEO or be invited to…
From the CEO’s Perspective forum is next Thursday morning, June 7th at the World Trade Center in Seattle. It’s an important conversation because over the last 18 months, we’ve seen more and more CEOs speaking up as leaders and speaking out as a citizens. The issues are highly-charged ranging from immigration, racism, sexual harassment and gun control, and the charge is amplified by the…
Many of you, I'm heads down working on the Leadership Lab no. 19 (LL19), a powerful, invite-only networking and leadership experience for emerging executives, who will be the thought leaders and industry shapers in our future C-Suites. It’s happening this fall, and nominations are open. For more information visit The Leadership Lab no. 19. In doing my research, I’m asking C-suite executives for advice…
I was talking with Aman Bhutani, President of the Brand Expedia Group. By the way, he'll be on the roster for the 2018 "From the CEO's Perspective" forum series, so stay tuned for those details. In the meantime...He's a leader with a mantra: Be Better Every Day. How does he do it? He threw down with two of my new favorite questions, the ones…
Don't be ridiculous... I met with the other CFO, Brandon Pedersen. We sit on the Board of Governors at the World Trade Center together and we had a cool conversation about his insight, advice and what he thinks it takes to think from the CEO’s perspective. The reason I asked is because on October 19th, I’m convening a highly curated, exclusive peer community of emerging…
Two brands that sit right next to each other at the bottom of the alphabetical order. They’re also both in the business of transporting customers from point A to point B, and… they both have arrogant, tone-deaf, ass biter CEOs who blame others and make excuses when they really should just say “Sorry.” I find this juxtaposition hilarious. Now, I know what you’re…
I’m pretty excited about Diane Neal. She’s a really cool chic, and like me, her dad played a pivotal role in her life and leadership. It was an honor to talk with her and learn more. Diane Neal serves as CEO of Sur La Table, a retailer of kitchen and dining supplies. She has learned over the years, as the retail industry has changed, some valuable lessons about leadership. Read…
The tables were turned Wednesday evening, and instead of being the moderator, I was a panelist for the #WomenWhoLead event, hosted by WeWork. Alongside me were two, rockstar leaders: Sachi Shenoy, Chief Innovation Officer of Upaya Social Ventures, and Rebecca Lovell, Director of Entrepreneurship & Industry, City of Seattle. Our moderator was Gina Phillips, the PNW Lead for WeWork. We spoke to a room…
Jim Weber, CEO of Brooks Running, is one of the coolest and smartest leaders in Seattle. He has some amazing stories and I can’t wait for you all to hear them. I left our meeting at Brooks headquarters earlier this week feeling even more excited about the conversation Jim and I are going to have (along with two other exceptional leaders: Darrell Cavens, CEO of…
When I speak about leadership, I am often asked who my favorite leaders are. The smart people would skirt the question, but I don’t. The reality is, I have several favorite leaders for different reasons. Currently, I’m leadership-crushing on Raj Singh, because he truly is one of the most authentic people I know. So it was no surprise that when I posed the question…
Can I get a dollar for every time a CEO tells me “It’s not about me”? It’s annoying and untrue. Frankly, it makes me trust you less. You set the standards and the pace. You set the vision. You set expectations. You motivate and engage your team and their teams. You do the things only a CEO can do. So, explain to me how…