Dear Madeleine, I am a marketing professional who manages a whole crew of kids—really. Age-wise, I could be the parent of each of these people. My team is tasked with providing movement and content across all of the social media platforms. We are very successful at what we do. Here is my problem: I feel…
Dear Madeleine, I am the new CEO of an asset management firm. I am concerned that my executive team is not up to speed and I am nervous about delegating to them. They are all super talented, bright and experienced. The problem is the former CEO was a micromanager who was punitive when people asked…
“Procrastination is the thief of time” – Charles Dickens I procrastinate. I’ll admit it. I have a bad habit of taking on easy tasks first and leaving more challenging things until last. Or I’ll put off a job until later because I’ve found something more desirable to do—but I won’t define when later is, exactly.…
Some people carry an extraordinary share of the load at work. You know them—people who seem to be on everyone’s go-to list. Sometimes it’s an IT resource. Sometimes it’s a project manager. Sometimes it’s the person who has the clout or the drive to get things done. Often, 20 to 35 percent of value-added collaborations…
Several years ago I was in a season of my leadership journey where I was consumed with addressing and solving day-to-day operational issues. Each day seemed to bring another problem to solve, a challenge to work through, or a fire to fight. The days became weeks and the weeks became months. My stress level kept…
Dear Madeleine, I am a leader who is conscientious, caring, and committed. Now, at the middle of my career, I find myself becoming a bit resentful of working long hours. I am constantly in danger of losing my PTO and yet the stress of preparing to be off work, along with the avalanche of work…
Dear Madeleine, I am a staff manager at an academic institution. Of my eleven direct reports, seven have been with the University for more than thirty years and the rest have also been here for a long time. They are smart and capable and very good at what they do, as they should be—they have…
Dear Madeleine, I’m not sure what my exact problem is, except that I am in a constant state of overwhelm. I have a wonderful job that I love, with a great boss who gives me plenty of challenging opportunities and always has my back. My employees are all excellent and hardworking. I have a lovely…
This Coaching Tuesday guest post is from Blanchard network coach Antonio Estrada. I recently coached an ambitious sales person with ten direct reports after he attended a three-day Managing People workshop customized for his employer by The Ken Blanchard Companies. This leader was very busy, working an average of twelve hours a day. Due to…