Dear Madeleine, I have raised three children while working full time. I am now a senior executive. I love my job and am normally a very even-keeled, cheerful person. Recently, however, I am feeling out of sorts. What does it mean when everything is irritating and everyone is aggravating? Thought you might have some ideas…
Dear Madeleine, I recently graduated from college and started my first job. The job I was offered was the one I wanted, but on my first day I was moved to a different department and given a job that does not come close to the description of the job I signed up for. The person…
“Between stimulus and response lies a space. In that space lie our freedom and power to choose a response. In our response lie our growth and our happiness.” This is one of my favorite quotes, most often attributed to Viktor E. Frankl, Holocaust survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning. It holds an answer to…
Dear Madeleine, I am an EVP of sales for a US-based fitness and weight loss website that is in hypergrowth. I started with the company about eight years ago and rose through the ranks, figuring things out as I went. About 18 months ago, my regional counterpart (I was East, he was West) quit suddenly…
Exhaustion is in the air, but you can generate the vitality you need right now. We need first to understand why we’re all feeling depleted. There are two types of depletion: physical and psychological. We all know the signs of physical depletion and its remedy: take a walk, eat healthy food, do yoga, rest. But…
Do you ever feel like you just need a minute? A minute to yourself—between calls, Zoom meetings, and appointments—to catch your breath? Juliet Funt believes giving ourselves permission to take that minute might just be the element that’s missing in our lives right now. In her new book, A Minute to Think: Reclaim Creativity, Conquer…
Dear Madeleine, I read your column on an employee who is too emotional. I have a similar problem, with some big differences. I don’t know why everyone says it is women who tend to be too emotional. I have a male colleague who is constantly melting down. I’m not sure where he got the idea…
Dear Madeleine, I am the executive director of a well established not-for-profit organization. I am passionate about our mission, and I know we do great things for our community. My problem is that I am exhausted—physically, mentally, and psychologically. We have recently been through a couple of big hiccups with one bad hire, one very…
Dear Madeleine, I work in a research organization. My colleagues are very well educated, as is most of the executive leadership team. I’m not a scientist, a PhD, or a doctor. I’m a middle manager who knows how things get done and what needs to be fixed in order to improve a process. I have…
Dear Madeleine, I was recently promoted to director of contracts and compliance at a global staffing organization. I have a great team, I seem to be well regarded in the organization, and I get along well with my direct boss and his boss, who is the regional CEO. I am often tapped to lead or…