Hi Madeleine, I just got off the phone and immediately realized that I need some help. I spoke to an employee in a way I am ashamed of. I didn’t yell or flip my lid, but I was curt, demanding, and unsympathetic, and I interrupted him several times. I have some things going on in…
Dear Madeleine, I was asked to present to the senior leadership team and the board of my company. I was excited and nervous—and prepared, I thought—but probably not enough as it turns out. Just as I was about to begin, I kind of lost my mind. I started to sweat uncontrollably and my heart started…
I’ve been coaching executives for about six years now. Recently I was working with a leader who proudly identified himself as a perfectionist. He considered it a badge of honor that he routinely works ten to twelve hours each day. Even now, in his sixties, he has his company cellphone on him at all times…
Dear Madeleine, I am an EVP of strategy and shareholder value for a billion dollar global conglomerate. I have been working with a coach for the last six months and she has made a huge difference in terms of helping me prioritize, focus, and develop more powerful relationships. Things have been going so well that…
Yesterday, I was re-watching the movie Star Trek Into Darkness, and I arrived at one section toward the end where the crew of a crippled USS Enterprise was facing imminent destruction. Despite all of Captain Kirk’s pleading, the enemy continued to charge up their weapons. Faced with defeat, Captain Kirk turned to his crew and…
Dear Madeleine, I am a fairly new manager in a great organization. I just love the people side of being a manager. My problem is that I don’t really understand the numbers part of the job. I really want to ask my boss to help me understand, but don’t want to reveal my ignorance. I…
Dear Madeleine, I have been managing people for a couple of years now. I enjoy it, and the people who work for me are thriving. My problem is all the new technologies in my field. I have a good business sense (recent MBA graduate) and I am comfortable with technology but as I continue to…
In their latest post for Fast Company online, management experts Scott and Ken Blanchard share that, “One of the big mistakes we see among otherwise promising managers is the self-limiting belief that they have to choose between results and people, or between their own goals and the goals of others. We often hear these people say,…
Accountability, accountability, accountability. It’s an issue that comes up time and again as leaders and HR professionals think about the one underlying challenge in their organizations that holds performance back. It’s a silent killer that operates below the surface in organizations and it’s tough to address. A best-selling business book (and one that I had…
The way an organization responds to mistakes tells you a lot about its corporate culture. In an article on innovation for Fast Company, Scott and Ken Blanchard look at the different responses they’ve seen in working with organizations. Some organizations see mistakes as opportunities to learn. These are the organizations that create innovative environments where…