Completely Worn Out? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I run a small not for profit.  We are past the startup phase and we were hitting a stride, but then we had some big setbacks before our big summer season and all my people are melting down. I spend my day moving from crisis to crisis (in between talking people off the…

New CEO Wreaking Havoc? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I run a compliance and risk group for a large regional credit union. We have a new CEO—I’ll call him “K.” K was our organization’s CFO for several years before he was named CEO, so I know him well. We have always had a good relationship. K has been in the CEO position…

New Leader Burning You Out? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I work as a senior manager reporting to a new EVP who was brought in from outside the company. She has a lot less experience than I do. She constantly talks about how strategic she is, but all I see is a lack of discipline around execution—and she seems to have no memory. …

Worried about Your Post-Quarantine Future? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I lead a marketing department for an operating company of a massive global conglomerate (yes, those still exist). When the shelter-in-place rule was announced, I did a really good job of making sure my team was set up to work from home, and have figured out the flex time/PTO situation for those who…

Victim of Your Own Success? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I work as a subject matter expert on sales and implementation teams for integrated software. I get pulled into all kinds of teams. I am constantly being told to join new teams and I feel like I’m doing most of the work on the teams I am already a part of. My problem…

Thinking the Stress at Work Might Kill You? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, A couple of years ago I moved from working in the bio/life sciences private sector to a government agency. It was a big adjustment, as you can imagine. Then, nine months ago, my direct supervisor was abruptly let go and I was tapped to be the boss. There was no due process, interviewing,…

Feeling Anxious at Work? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I’m a mid-level manager with a large team. My boss pretty much leaves me on my own to get my job done. He knows he can trust me. My problem is that I am constantly anxious about my performance, even though no one tells me it isn’t good enough. Everyone keeps talking about…

CEO Making You Crazy? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I am a VP of supply chain in a vast multi-billion dollar global consumer products company. Our CEO is really smart—a true visionary—and I have a great relationship with him. We always have good conversations when we are together. He works out of the European headquarters while my division is in the US,…

Afraid You Might Drop the Ball? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I am a senior project manager in a service organization. I manage client-facing work as well as hundreds of independent contractors.  I recently got behind on my list—the endless small tasks that add up to outstanding service—and I shelved a few items to take care of when I came back from a week’s…