Female Firebrands Author Mikaela Kiner once asked me, "Why are you so authentic?" "What does that even mean?" I responded. She rephrased, "How did you get so comfortable being you?" I responded flippantly, "Well, who else would I be?" But deep down, I knew exactly what she meant. I had spent a lot of time pretending not to be myself earlier in life, at…
I’m noticing a pattern in conversation with some of my coaching clients. They received feedback that they need to increase their executive presence, but the feedback stops there. So, I want to shed light on the mystery of executive presence, because when you break it down, it’s not a mystery at all. People with executive presence stand out. They command attention, project strength, and…
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…
In my work with CEOs I've noticed a clear behavior that elevates the best ones: conviction, knowing what you stand for and demonstrating that every day. The concept is simple, but to act it is not. On a rainy night at O’Hare International Airport, I faced the choice of owning my own conviction in a small but powerful way. That night, no planes were landing or…
I was meeting with a young leader interested in executive coaching. Halfway through the conversation, he told me I reminded him of the performance coach on Billions, the Showtime drama starring Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis and Maggie Siff. I hadn’t heard of the show, so the comment meant nothing until I watched it. When I did, I wasn’t sure if I should feel flattered…
I showed up at the gym last week for Bootcamp, and like every January, a bunch of newbies invaded my space. I know it's the human thing to do -- gather hope and intentions, get excited for what’s possible, set some goals and climb aboard the success train. But since this isn’t my first rodeo, and it’s not yours either, so let’s cut to…
The world is dimmer for the loss of such an iconic symbol of courage and authenticity. I’m not going to claim I was the biggest Bowie fan. His influence reigned heavy before I was born. But I am an admirer of what he symbolized: the courage to live his eccentric view of the world in the most authentic way he could. For leaders and…
