Ever read the book “A Moveable Feast” by Ernest Hemingway? He demured in Paris in the 1920’s, with the likes of Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound and F.Scott Fitzgerald. This group of literary geniuses was also known as La génération perdue = The Lost Generation. Similar to Gertrude Stein’s self proclamation during a depressed time after […]
Archive | Exit Strategy
Giving your Skills a New Voice
Let’s face it. From the time we are very young and into our 20’s, we are aspiring to be “all grown up”. We watch what others do, listen to what they say, observe how they behave. We learn from our environment including peers, mentors, parents. We look for our voice in the world. Who we […]
When Magic Happens
I have been living a dream these past two days. All because it was decided that I would not be working for anyone within a corporate structure for a while – maybe never again. And suddenly the world of possibility just opened it’s giant arms and welcomed me in. It’s at those moments when you […]
Workshops aren’t for everyone
I have this friend whom I’ve been unsuccessfully trying to recruit to a Covert Leadership workshop. It’s true that workshops are not for everyone. Today I took her through some of the questions and we discussed how we’ve adapted our process and curriculum to companies. She’s working with me on two client projects and is […]
Bad Romance – But Mature Enough to Handle it
I supposed that at some point, it’s nice to focus on a culprit or antagonist in our professional lives to help with any self-denial that we might be the culprit ourselves. How many times have we been in a situation where we channeled bad feelings to someone in order to feel better? When in fact, […]
The Art of Second Guessing
Yesterday was probably my most stressful day at work. I felt others conveying strong messages and reinforcing an unshakeable vibe via their body language, and I felt flush and fearful of being fired. All day I was punishing myself for second guessing my value. Of course I was fine. I wasn’t being fired. I know […]
Over 40 and reinventing
When do we reinvent ourselves? I probably do every decade. And so I’m on my 4th decade of reinvention. In my industry, you probably only remain relevant until the age of 55. So I figure I’ve got a good decade to a decade and a half of this line of work, which is why I […]
Avoiding Hotel California
Remember those famous lyrics from the Eagles, You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave? As a manager, how do we avoid giving our employees the feeling that they are on one yellow brick road, and it’s called Hotel California? At Company Z, I was informed by my youngest colleague […]
Drawing a Line in the Sand
At what point are you crossing the line between professional roles? Between taking care of you vs your co-worker or boss? I think I cross the line over and over again. I continue on with the best intentions, never mind the backlash, fatigue or general suffering. If you’ve followed the course of my exit plan, […]
The Exit Speech (to my boss)
One thing I’ve learned about myself. I have to decide my message, and stay on message. If I get sloppy and deviate, I pay for it later. My head and heart take over, and suddenly I’m blurting out things I can’t believe keep flowing from my mouth like water. And then… oops. What was I […]
