The most dangerous instinct in leadership is this: “It’s easier if I just do it myself.” That instinct feels productive in the moment. It solves the immediate problem and keeps the team moving. But repeated often enough, it quietly trains your team to depend on you for answers, decisions, and direction. And eventually, you become the person holding everything together. Most leaders have said these words to themselves more times than they can count and underneath that thought

If you read my article When it Feels Easier to Just Do it Yourself , you might have recognized yourself in it. Solving problems all day long–in emails, in meetings, in direct messages, in the hallways…Doing mental gymnastics as you jump from meeting to meeting..Carrying more of the work than you used to. Always dreaming about pausing time to just get caught up, so the work can be manageable again. And even though your team is working hard, you still feel like everything depe

The areas of opportunity for this employee were clear to me. At a weekly 1:1, I delivered feedback, explained the behaviors I wanted to see, and followed up with an email recap to ensure clarity. It was a hard conversation in many ways— there were lots of dynamics at play, some within my control, some not. While I was focused on the current  situation, the employee voiced frustrations about past leaders and situations they felt were unfair.  I wasn’t expecting the conversatio

When Something Isn’t Clicking—Start Here Every leader has been there. You’re coaching an employee, giving feedback, offering support—but...

In 2017, I took the VIA Character Strengths Assessment  for the first time. My top strengths back then? Judgment, Kindness,...

Leaders don’t build teams. They build the people who make teams great. I’ve worked for a lot of leaders over the course of my career— nine different leaders in the last ten years. There’s good and bad in that. Every time I was given a new leader, it felt like a step back.  I had to prove myself again, rebuild trust, and help them see my strengths.  In many ways, it was frustrating—like starting over, again and again. But in hindsight, I see something else. Working for differe

It’s easy to stay focused on your own company, team, and work—especially if you’re at a larger, well-resourced organization. But if...

Unpopular Opinion: I hate the phrase ‘career path.’ Why? Because it sets leaders and employees up for unrealistic expectations and...

I have a confession to make. I’m not fun. There. I said it. I'm the ‘fun killer.’ Some years ago, I was responsible for a two-day...

A Tale of Two Cooks in One Kitchen My soon-to-be-husband and I cook most of our meals at home. We have a pretty good system, too–one...

A leader told me he is concerned about how much (or little) his organization values his team’s work. As a result, he feels a sense of...

I started working at a founder-led company in its 10th year. The entrepreneurial spirit upon which it was founded was palpable. Cultural...

One of my team members recently told me: “I feel like we’ve been ships passing in the night a lot lately.” Uh-oh. This is not good...

Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash I bet you can think of one or two unspoken “rules” of your team or corporate culture. They aren’t...

POV: One of your employees resigns. How do you feel? A. like a failure of a boss B. anxious that productivity will slow C....