In the elusive hunt for a mentor, consider that a Thought Partner can be just as valuable to your personal and professional growth.

What is a Thought Partner? It goes beyond a co-worker, a manager, or a friend. A thought partner is someone who shares your interests and curiosities. They believe in abundance, are driven to think bigger, want more, and are always ready to explore. 

Here is how to spot the relationship:

• Your conversations are rarely transactional; you spend much of your time co-creating, solving problems, and dreaming of the future
• You push each other to think bigger beyond your current situation
• You both seek the unknown and then find the answers
• You want the best for each other
• There is no competition, no one has to "be" smarter - you are both smart
• You appreciate each other's strengths
• You look for ways to lean in and support the success of each individually 
• You go down rabbit holes of inspiration
• You co-create, and no one takes or needs the credit
...

Doing the work at work is not the most challenging part of the job. But when we are in it, the difficult journey of growth and development is often left to on-the-job training.

What if there was a better way? What if creating awareness of how we build safe spaces for our teams to thrive changed everything? Because, let's be honest - it is not the situation that causes us to react or respond, but more often, the meaning we are giving to the situation.

For example -

Situation: The company experiences a decline in quarterly profits.

Meaning 1: If you interpret this decline as a sign of personal failure or incompetence, you might feel stressed, anxious, or even defensive when discussing the financial results with the board.

Meaning 2: Conversely, if you view the decline as an opportunity to reassess strategies, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes for future growth, you might feel motivated, proactive, and resilient in addressing the challenges.

In this scenario, the...

Do you feel like you are spinning wheels, rolling the dice, and moving backward as much as forward at work? When did work become more complicated than a board game, and what can you do about it? First, identify the issues. For example, which of these board games sounds most like what is happening at work?

TROUBLE: a race around the board.

The goal: move multiple game pieces across the finish line.

Do you feel like you are trying to move so many projects, people, and ideas across the finish line, spreading your attention so thin that you fear you are mediocre at a lot and great at nothing?

You can't move until you roll the die. 

Every move is a role of the dice, a risk you must take to move forward. And no matter how big you want to go, there is still a bubble over you - holding you back from and influencing the outcome.

The only way to win is to knock others back.

No collaboration here; land in the same space, and you send your opponent back to the beginning. There...

What Are You Building at Work? Legacy or History?

Legacies and histories are both important, but they are not the same thing. The legacy you leave at work is what defines your career, while your work history is simply a record of where you have been. As a leader in the workplace, it's important to ask yourself: what am I building—a legacy or a history?

What's the Difference Between Legacy and History?
Legacy is something that will stay with an organization after you've gone. It's the impact you have on the people around you and the ideas that remain long after you leave. A legacy is about making a lasting impression on your team, your organization, and even future generations. It's about leaving behind something meaningful and inspiring others to do more than they thought possible.

The Meaning of Legacy
Legacy is an intangible concept that has everything to do with the reputation one leaves behind. It's all about making an impact on future generations and leaving something...

It is inevitable that, when looking at the popular crowd, people will make assumptions about the politics involved. However, there is more to this group than meets the eye. There are several reasons why being popular is only sometimes what it seems.

For one, the popular crowd is often made up of people considered to be "conformists." This means they generally follow what most people are doing or saying. Although, as a result, they may not always be expressing their true beliefs, popularity can be beneficial for your career, but it can be detrimental to your happiness.

We start working because we have to; money, food, and shelter are key. Growing up, were you told to follow your dreams, or did you grow up knowing work is a way of life? No matter why or where we started, we begin to wander and wonder how we fit into the big corporate world.

As things progress, confidence becomes a friend we are constantly chasing. We assume some have it; others don't, and we watch other professionals...

What are your New Year's traditions?

Resolutions? Goals? A mantra? A bucket list or checklist? What about a word or two? My thought partner and I pick three words each year that we will hold tight to during the highs and lows of the year.

The purpose of these words is to keep us centered, inspired, moving forward, and focused on our goals! However, as I contemplate my words for 2022 (this is a very important and introspective process), I am torn because the word at the top of my list has such a negative connotation.

After a search in the Miriam Webster Dictionary, the Thesaurus, and a little research on the history of this word, I feel an overwhelming need to defend this word. I think it is important for my growth, success, dreams, and maybe yours.

So here it goes, I will say it out loud - at the top of my list, I am choosing UNCOMFORTABLE.

To review, the definition of uncomfortable is: Causing or feeling slight pain or physical discomfort, OR - causing or feeling unease or...

I believe in JOY, even at work. This statement may sound a little Polyana, but I have experienced it in the corporate world and as a coach. I believe you can too. However, it is work (not the job - finding the joy).

Looking for joy? Then it is time to begin your quest for the path that leads you to that magical experience we all deserve. To start, are you even on the right track? Has the career path you have taken brought you something to look forward to next week, next month, or next year? Do you see a clear path ahead for your career?

If the path is correct, then is the work meaningful to you? So many get lost because they start their careers worried about what their parents expected or what their college peers believed they should be doing, and they find it hard to pursue their dreams after a few years in the job market. What do you believe? Whether you are keeping the cafeteria clean at the elementary school or working towards world peace, every job is essential...

Your company needs you right now. They are scrambling to bring on talent to the organization, and you sit at your desk waiting for them to make the hire. This new colleague is supposed to take some work off your plate and bring a little more balance to your life. 

If these new hires are vital to you and your organization, then it is time to step up.

This move will not only enhance your leadership profile both in the industry and with your company, but it will also get the recruiters singing your praises at work.

Reach out to your Talent Acquisition team to find out what jobs they are struggling to fill and take these steps:

• Go through your network
  • Reach out to network with your favorite former colleagues (talent always knows talent).
  • Call those that would be great for the job and tell them about your company.
  • If you are not comfortable reaching out - send names directly to the recruiting team.
• Share the jobs socially
  • Get the word out 
    • Ask your...

It wasn't my plan to write about closing the loop, but it came up in three conversations this week. So before we get started - here is a recap of the stories shared with me this week.

One connection of mine told of a story where two separate people had reached out because their company needed someone with her skills, but she never heard back. 

The second example came when a friend told me of her frustrations with people reaching out to network, but once she responds, she hears nothing for weeks. She was especially frustrated because they were the one that needed the favor.

The third was a client discussing the age-old story of being ghosted by a recruiter. 

Do any of these situations sound familiar? With each person, I tried to play devil's advocate about what may have happened. The job filled faster than they expected, life gets busy, and delivering bad news is never easy. But is it fair to make excuses for these people?

Before I get on my soapbox, we have all done...

This past year has been an eye-opening experience for everyone.  No one I know is the same, and there have been a lot of lessons learned.

These are just a few that stand out to me. 

Difficult decisions had to be made. Of course, leadership is always full of difficult decisions, but these were some of the hardest in your career because of the uncertainty of the moment and the impact on so many lives. 

This leads to it was not personal; it was business. We saw leaders in anguish, trying their best to figure out the magic combination of balance sheets, furloughs, and inevitably in many cases, layoffs. 

Everyone sacrificed.  Our front-line workers gave and gave beyond what was humanly possible.  Many professionals worked more hours than ever and faced situations that, at moments, seemed impossible.  On the other hand, many feel guilty because they were not there to help with the solutions due to being furloughed....