As many of you know, I’ve been hard at work on my second book and it’s brought up a lot of memories. It’s also made me take a hard look at what brought me to this place in my career, and why I’ve had such a strong focus on creating more “best bosses” as part … Continued
We so often hear that life is all about balance, and while in many ways that’s true, I think the term work-life balance has led us astray. Because at the end of the day, it isn’t really about “balance”—it’s not always going to be 50/50 when it comes to work and personal life. It’s not … Continued
It seems no matter what we do, stress is an inevitable part of life. And this is especially true when it comes to work. Whether you’re stressing about finances, promotions, deadlines or a difficult colleague, there always seems to be something in the workplace that adds to our woes. And sometimes, that difficult colleague is … Continued
It’s a good question, isn’t it? Status is one of those things that we don’t actively think about, but it’s ingrained in our society and more specifically, corporate culture. By nature, when you get the bigger title, the bigger job, the higher salary, the better office, there is an assumption that you’ve now elevated your … Continued
In episode 55 of my podcast, Best Boss Ever, Jon Cogan shared his experience with his “worst boss ever”—a leader who epitomized the antithesis of ideal leadership qualities. This particular boss was notorious for deflecting blame and hoarding credit, a behavior pattern that demoralized the team and eroded trust. It highlighted the frustration and disillusionment … Continued
In today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving world, thinking of leadership as a one-stop destination is like expecting your smartphone to never need an update—it’s pretty unrealistic. For years, I’ve been asking leaders to think of leadership as a practice, much like a legal practice or a yoga practice; one that’s focused on growth and adaptation rather than … Continued
In today’s world, your personal brand is more important than ever. I talk about this a lot with high-potential leaders, because how you’re seen by those around you greatly influences the way people respond to you. It’s a piece of the leadership puzzle that we don’t often think about, but it’s so important to your … Continued
The world is changing. The days of employees spending 30+ years at one company are over. And the same way employees are showing less and less loyalty to their employer, employers are showing less and less loyalty to their employees. “Mass layoffs” is a term heard ‘round the world, and it seems to be affecting … Continued
For better or for worse, you likely attribute a number of traits to one (or both!) of your parents. The way you look, the way you talk, and the way you think can all be traced back to your genetic makeup and formative experiences in childhood. But there’s one area of your adult life that … Continued
Can you be a leader if you “officially” have nobody to lead? That’s a question that’s come up quite a few times recently. For example, I’m a solopreneur. While I have a number of adjacent businesses and contractors I work with to execute various areas of my business, I don’t have a team that directly … Continued
I’ve been traveling a lot for work lately, and last week, I had the privilege of staying in a gorgeous hotel. However, when I woke up for my day of meetings, I realized there was no hot water. I tried and tried again, finally giving up and resigning myself to an ice-cold shower. (So much … Continued
When you write a book called Too Busy to be Happy, it’s only natural for clients to ask about said busyness. How can they reserve more emotional real estate for their personal lives? How can they get ahead professionally without consistently giving up their free time? Is it necessary to always go “above and beyond” … Continued
Whether you’ve been a Whipp subscriber for years or are new to our community, there’s a good chance you’ve heard me talk about the power of an “aha moment.” Those moments of sudden realization, when a challenge we were facing finally makes sense, are priceless. Something finally clicks and a new insight shifts our perspective. … Continued
No matter where you sit in the corporate hierarchy, there is one experience that is universal: Feedback. Feedback is critical as it provides valuable insights, uncovers blind spots, and helps professionals improve their skills and performance. And while everyone has been (or still is) on the receiving end of feedback, you may also be responsible … Continued
Until we meet again, Mr. P. Last week, I got the sad news that my beloved high school choir teacher passed away. Now you may not think that this news could (or should) rattle someone who’s been out of high school for more than 20 years. But it has. And that’s because Mr. P was … Continued
Do you get nervous before a big presentation? If you’re like me, you do–but as someone who’s also built a career on coaching large groups of people, I’ve had to get real comfortable with that anxiety. In fact, I had to figure out a way to reduce it. Recently, I was asked to speak in … Continued
If you work in any sort of professional environment, you’ve likely experienced “meeting culture.” It’s one of the worst practices we’ve picked up–one that was likely exacerbated during the pandemic when meetings were the only form of (virtual) connection with colleagues. But now that that whole thing is behind us, I believe it’s high time … Continued
Five minutes. Three hundred seconds. That’s how long you have to make sure your voice is heard in group meetings. It’s what I’ve nicknamed the five-minute rule. But before we get into it, let me explain where it came from. I have quite a few clients who I would classify as extremely introverted. These are … Continued
How many questions do you think you ask in a day? Between my clients, my kids, and my husband, there’s no doubt that I ask hundreds. And sometimes, I believe we ask questions without really considering the possible responses. Let me give you an example: We’re having some work done to our house, and we’re … Continued
I spend a lot of time thinking (and talking!) about the best bosses ever. Not only is it the concept behind my podcast, but it’s also one of the most popular programs my company, Leader in Motion, runs with our corporate clients. Why? Because employees don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses. For a … Continued
Has something ever rattled your confidence? Because you’re human, the answer is likely yes. But the real question is whether that “something” was rationally or irrationally linked to your insecurities. I woke up one morning (ironically it was International Women’s Day) and marched into the bathroom and stepped on the scale. I glance at the … Continued
In my last blog Can making more money make you feel poorer?, I challenged all of us to consider the relationship between making more money and being time-poor. Interestingly, I had several people reach out to comment on this topic. It turned into a meaty conversation with a client the other day. Jane, her name changed … Continued
What does it mean to be wealthy vs. poor? As most of us grow up and develop, there’s usually one answer modeled for all of us: Money. While it’s true that acquiring money is a form of wealth that correlates to success for so many of us. In this week’s piece, I challenge us to … Continued
A week ago, I had a very interesting experience. I decided to sneak away from the office on a Wednesday afternoon and play hooky with a great friend of mine. We went to this gorgeous outdoor Scandinavian spa with hot and cold pools, a steam room, a sauna, and the usual promise of blissful escapism. … Continued
Last week, I read a quote that reminded me why I quit career coaching almost as fast as I started career coaching: “If you wait until you’re motivated, you’ve already lost.” The piece goes on to highlight some examples, like “Surgeons don’t always feel like doing surgery. Teachers don’t always feel like teaching. Parents don’t always … Continued
What if you already had exactly what you were looking for? When most of us think about the new year, we think about what we want compared to what we have. We want more success, prosperous relationships, money, travel, quality time with family, or more JOY! More joy, right? Who doesn’t want more joy? But as … Continued
“Why can’t I just do this stuff at home” is what I thought after an obscene amount of jumping jacks and skipping rope. Last week, I was in a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout class at 6:30 am. Now, to get there, I had to shovel my car out of seemingly endless snow, which, to … Continued
I am starting to see a new trend of burnout in both professional men and women. And no one is talking about it. Women are delaying motherhood and investing heavily in their careers: Professional and relational landscapes for men and women, specifically couples, have changed in the past few decades. As a result, so have … Continued
For most professionals, this is the time of the year when they receive career-defining feedback to set the tone, expectations, and goals for the following year. In my career, I have received good and not-so-good performance reviews. However, over the years, I have experienced and heard of some that suggest performance reviews are unnecessarily ineffective … Continued
Which of these two people do you recognize? One: the breezy, charismatic speaker, the one who makes audiences want to lean in and learn, the person who captivates and excites. The other one: dry, shy, possibly withdrawn. This is the one who reads their presentation word for word, clears their throat 18 times in as … Continued
In most professions, you’re paid, depended upon, and expected to make decisions. You’re required to know the risks, consider the facts, and deliberate between options. Sometimes – you make it look easy. And if you’ve been in leadership for more than a moment, some of what others may consider the most challenging decisions to make … Continued
Is there a connection between business and the wild? There is. Consider that the wilderness environment – like business – can be unforgiving, challenging, dynamic, unpredictable, perplexing, and vast. In the wild, just as in business, we must be able to conserve our energy and state of mind, take the lead from the rising and … Continued