Too Many Demands for Your Time? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, What should I do about all of the requests I get from people who want to “pick my brain” or schedule an informational interview? My friends’ kids are all reaching the age where they are getting serious about having lucrative careers and satisfying jobs, and they’re all following the advice they’re getting to…

Stop Trying to Be Everything to Everyone—Making Distinctions between Managing, Coaching, and Mentoring

Managers who understand how to conduct useful management, coaching, and mentoring conversations can address the needs of their employees quickly and effectively. The challenge is knowing when each conversation is most appropriate. Without clear distinctions it is easy for these conversations to blend together and overlap. And once that happens, managers may find themselves attempting…

Rising Star Dresses Inappropriately? Ask Madeleine

Dear Madeleine, I am a COO in a multi-national import business. Our founding CFO has a foot out the door and we want to promote our comptroller, Bridget, into the job. She is lightning fast, ahead of the curve on international issues, articulate, and can really stand up for herself in what is—let’s face it—pretty…

Plan More, Hurry Less when Navigating Whitewater

I went whitewater rafting down the Kern River this week with my husband and friends. (That’s me, underwater, at the front of the boat.) We had our choice of several guides, and we all agreed the guy with the grey hair looked like he had more experience than anyone else. We were correct. Our guide,…

Why You Are Worth More than You Think

I was recently in a coaching conversation with a client—now a friend—who was working through getting a new job and negotiating salary. In a paradoxical twist, as it seems to always happen, she had some amazing insight that has helped me understand my value both professionally and personally. She told this story: In the 80s…