Bullies and Narcissists Shankar was never shy during our coaching conversations to talk about his feelings about Peter, his CEO. They’d known each other for years as senior executives in the world of high tech and had even served together on a senior leadership team. When Peter became CEO at a global tech corporation, he […]
Leading When Ego at the Top Is Unchecked Read More »
“Have You Told Him?” Jon was extolling the excellence of Matthew, one of his direct reports. When our coaching began, Jon had been endlessly annoyed with Matthew. Chunks of our time were spent with Jon frustrated by all the ways Matthew was not meeting expectations. Now, only four months later, Jon was calling him a
How to Motivate and Inspire Read More »
Battling uphill Sean was battling his boss. And he was losing the war. The first person to talk to me about Sean was Ronit, the HR executive. “In a world that was fair, Sean would win. But he can’t win against Jack. No one can.”
5 Strategies for Dealing with Narcissists Read More »
“People Get Hurt in Politics” Hui Min was tired of losing. As an art director in animation, she was constantly competing for scarce resources. She saw other people get what they needed when she didn’t.
Leading with Political Savvy – Part 2 Read More »
Boss as coach Laurel was no-nonsense. Whether talking about her kids or her enormous workload, Laurel cut to the chase. With Laurel, there was no drama. The goal for my coaching with her, perhaps unsurprisingly, had been to “warm her up.” And we did! That was two years ago. She’d risen quickly since then. Recently,
How to Coach Your People Read More »
Confrontation anxiety Estifania was thirty days into leading a large division of scientists and doctors. We were discussing her direct reports. In general, she seemed pleased. “Except for Michael,” she said. “He’s already pressuring me to re-organize the division. Ha! I barely know where the bathroom is! As if I’m ready to think about a
Style Conversations Read More »
Money and trust Karin used to run an entire department for a state university. She managed hundreds of people and a six-figure budget. Then she transitioned into a senior role in the investment banking world. She found herself working for a boss who wouldn’t let her authorize any expenditure over $100.
“Don’t Take Anything Personally” Read More »
Troubled history. Tough decision. Darryl supported the decision I was making. We didn’t know what Grace would think of it. I was withdrawing myself as the coach for one of Grace’s direct reports, a lawyer named Sterling. Sterling, most agreed, created swirls of difficulty in every endeavor. His constant difficulties had prompted the company to
Readiness in coaching Read More »
Bested by her junior Jillian was frustrated. “I should be able to handle her better by now,” she groused. “I’ve been dealing with Doris since my first day here and that’s almost ten years. And then I see this, this, I don’t know, this kid just ease her out of one of her moods. Whatever
She’s great, but . . . “Can we talk about Carmen?” asked Paul. This was only our fourth coaching session. I was enjoying him immensely. Paul was creative director in a global marketing division. He and I had bonded quickly over a shared history of having performed in theatre during our younger days.
Executive Gender Bias Read More »
