To the outside world, agent M1 is your every day wife, mom and seasoned professional. At work, however, she transforms into a covert leader, secretly wondering how to fix the myriad problems at work. She knows she can be a change agent, even when the threat of disaster looms. The question is not how, but […]
Author Archive | Agent M1
Time to Mop Up
Tonight, I was performing the cathartic act of mopping the floor at home. So many days and nights I feel too exhausted from mopping up messes at work, that I don’t much feel like cleaning my own mess. This is my take on another form of work/life balance. When times are stressful and I am […]
Being Too Good at Your Job, Episode 1
Fall is here, so it’s time to kick off a new Blog series. I know this has become a cliché for government workers, but I want to address something that is not always apparent in the corporate world, yet omnipresent nonetheless. Being too good at your job. This is episode 1. Out of respect to […]
Fixing the Un-fixable
By Agent M1 on October 15, 2012 in Riffs & Ideas, Tip of the Day, Weekly Survival, Work Life Balance
I have a friend, let’s call him Manny. Manny is a psychotherapist. The other day he was asking me about some of the common terminology in my field of work. When I asked why, he explained that his client was having some difficulties in her personal life, with relationships etc., and his assessment was that […]
When Goal Setting Isn’t Enough
I have this employee who has been learning his role on-the-job now for several years. During the past two, he hasn’t received a promotion and he’s wondering why. After our informal discussion where he disclosed his frustrations, it was immediately clear to me the reason for his struggles. Doug is a superstar in his own […]
Fear and Uncertainty at Work
When times are tough at work, our foes start to reveal themselves: fear and uncertainty. When that happens, it’s time to regroup. In my last post, I talked about why I like having an executive coach. That’s only one of several ways to deal with those thoughts that can drag you down. I envy people […]
Why I Like Having an Executive Coach
Okay Coach John, I need to set up our weekly sessions again. It seems I like learning new things when Fall comes around. Maybe it’s from being so programmed to start school in the Fall and turn over a new leaf. Is that where that term came from? I have an executive coach whom I […]
Why I Envy Stay-at-home Moms
Not to make it too personal, and not to rift on moms who stay home to be with their kids, but I want to address a huge green-eyed monster in my life. I utterly envy yummie mummies. I aspire to be a yummie mummie. As much as I love my husband, sometimes I want a […]
Unlearning Patterns
I know you are thinking it, and it’s probably true. About time that honeymoon period is over at work. I’ve been on a five month sprint, barely resurfacing for air and really feeling so lucky to be at my new company, that I’ve been in denial of the office power structure. But I have to […]
Common Misunderstandings
Yesterday was probably the worst day I’ve experienced at my new job so far. My boss wanted to share a chart with me that showed our process and, as he walked through where we (my group) fit in, my eyes stopped at two words written in bold. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. My mind shut down and my […]
