I met Michael earlier this spring as I prepared to speak at a financial firm. The event was being simulcast—shown live in six different office locations across the country—and Michael was responsible for the video and phone hookups to the various sites during the presentation. I had sent the power point for my program prior [...]
How Exercise Makes You Smarter
A month ago, I ran into one of my neighbors, Tim, at a weekend arts and music festival. Having found a shady spot to sit in when a brand was taking a break, he mentioned that he had seen me several times from his home office desk riding my bicycle past his house. I admitted [...]
Sleeping In A Bed That Isn’t Yours
I’m on the road at least a couple of days every week flying to client events, meetings or conferences. It is part of the job and I take it in stride. There are benefits to the travel—seeing different parts of the country, eating local foods, and developing a sense of confidence finding my way around. [...]
Taking A Break to Improve Your Performance
I participated in an executive roundtable on workplace flexibility that was sponsored by SHRM and had the chance to meet individuals who work for the government, as well as people who craft public policy and conduct research about workplace issues. Over lunch, I struck up a conversation with Kristen, a public policy strategist, and we [...]
Banning Your Blackberry For A Better Meeting
David and I met at a networking lunch about six weeks ago. I sat down first at the table and pulled out my iPhone to check emails. He sat down and immediately did the same. We laughed at ourselves and agreed that it wasn’t great networking behavior on our parts. We then began to discuss [...]
Sleep As The Key To Productivity
As the head of sales and marketing for a global firm, Kevin was confident he needed no more than five hours of sleep a night. When he came for coaching Kevin told me all about the benefits he got from not sleeping longer. For example, it allowed him to spend time with his kids when [...]
Three Tips for Eating for High Performance
The criteria most people use for deciding what to eat are pleasure and convenience. Few people realize that they are overlooking the essential criteria: how, when and what we eat will directly influence our ability to perform. I recently saw an example of this when I asked Susan, in a group coaching session, about her [...]
Improving Your Performance On Conference Calls
“I hate conference calls,” Dean admitted to me on a break during a recent session I was facilitating. “No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to focus during them.” As part of a select group of leaders chosen for a high potential program at a global food company, Dean was a bit [...]
How Can You Thrive?
Why are some people able to navigate in the face of seemingly continuous challenges while others struggle? Studies suggest that success in difficult situations has less to do with the kind of person that someone is and, rather, depends on how he or she reacts to a situation. The greater number of these traits you [...]
Finding the Big Picture on a Bicycle
My guess is that my workdays aren’t much different than yours. I’m booked solid with meetings, conference calls, tasks that are tied to tight deadlines as well as the never-ending influx of emails that require my attention. I’m often not sure how to respond when my husband, Paul, asks me at dinner how my day [...]
