SmikleSpeaks

I don’t believe there really is any such thing as life balance. I think the best we can do is to blend the components of our life. The first thing required to create that blend is an assessment of our core values. What really matters most to us? Do we have a core value around our Faith? Do we have a core value around personal accomplishment? Or, is one of our core values based on health and wellne...

I was in yoga class and one of the teachers started the class by saying she read something that said Finish what you start, Do more than you think you can, Do it better than you think you can. At first that sounded really good and I was nodding in agreement. And I kept repeating it to myself. I was pumping myself up with a new mantra. But then, a few days later I started thinking about it. I mean...

Thanks to so many listeners for your positive feedback on the "What would you do?" scenarios that I did a couple of months ago. Who knew they’d be so popular? I didn’t! Since so many people like them, I am going to do another one. It’s all about perceptions of support.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how to ensure that DEI efforts are impactful. Progressing in this are requires a clear strategy. If you’re a regular listener you know that I am almost a zealot about strategy. Part of the reason that so many DEI efforts fail is because they lack strategy. A lot fail because they lack real commitment. I’m going to briefly review 12 practices that I think...

Collaborative efforts, face obstacles. Some of the obstacles are related to individual behavior, others to organizational structures, and still others to organizational practices. We can strengthen collaborative efforts by identifying the obstacles. Once obstacles are identified, the work can start to remove them. Organizations that are unwilling to address their unique obstacles cannot move forwa...

Lately I’ve been working with a lot of leaders on how they can build teams and strengthen collaboration. This is important because so many projects require cross functional cooperation. We all know how counterproductive it is to have silos and turf lines. I’m going to share some of the competencies that I think are important for anyone who is leading collaborative efforts. These competencies are e...

This is the third episode in this series on resilience. Dr. Neel provides tools for using resilience to live whole, satisfying lives.

We're going to explore the relationship between good mental health and resilience. Dr. Neel is back to help us delve into this topic.

This episode is a deep-dive into resilience. What does it mean? How does it play out? Do we all have it? Dr. Kathryn Neel is the founder of Cornerstone Psychological Services. She's going to help us come to clear understanding of resilience.

This is the fourth of the podcasts that focus on scenarios that are drawn from my consulting life. Here’s another one on DEI for your consideration. This is a sticky situation...an all-too-common occurrence. I’ll be asking you to think about your approach to analyzing the issue and then taking action.

This is the third of the podcasts that are different. Here’s another scenario for your consideration. I'll read the scenario and you'll think about your approach.

This is the second of the podcasts that are a little bit different. I’m going to share a few more scenarios. They’re real situations. Listen tot he scenario and think about what you'd do. This episode focuses on performance management.

I’m doing a few podcasts that are a little bit different. I’m going to share scenarios that I’ve been dealing with in my consulting life. After sharing I’ll then ask you a few questions to get you thinking about your approach to the dilemma. That’s it. I just want you to think about the issue so you're better prepared if it comes up in your world.

You made up your mind to make changes, try something new, invent something, to pursue a new path. You have the drive, the motivation and a plan. But you can’t do it alone. You need a team of advisors. I’m going to give you a little guidance on getting to go with your own personal advisory board.. There are 6 advisors who can help get you to go and stay the course.

Apologizing is good when you’re genuinely sorry. It’s good when you’ve hurt someone. It’s especially good when you’ve made a mistake. The problem is when we over-apologize. That’s a red flag indicating a lack of confidence. It’s also a sign of insecurity. It’s a way to position oneself as powerless.

Personal power! We all have it. Some of us fear it. Some of us wield it like a mighty sword. What do you do with yours? Are you willing to unleash it so that you get the results that you want in in your life? This podcast is all about finding and leveraging our personal power.

You were great in your subject matter…maybe an awesome engineer, a great teller, a fantastic professor, a gifted architect, an outstanding doctor. Then, you got promoted. You weren’t prepared for a leadership role but you certainly didn’t want to say no to the opportunity. Or, you’re in a position to add new leaders to your team. You look around and see a few talented people. You know that they do...

You’re not dead yet! You still have lots of living to do! There are opportunities at every stage of the life span. My sister Susan says that we don’t need bucket lists, we need living lists. What’s on your living list? What have you yet to accomplish? What are your callings that you’ve yet to fulfill? You’re not dead yet! What have you learned and how can you translate it into action for a fulfill...

Isn’t interesting how many of us would be doing something different if we could. I mean different in our careers, in our relationship, in our lives. WE can! We really can! This podcast is all about reimagining and reinventing our lives. That means we are intentionally transitioning. We are intentionally veering off the path we’re traveling and taking another one. Or, better still, paving the uniqu...

There are times when I get frustrated, flabbergasted, and flustered with spineless leaders. I know the word spineless sounds harsh but that’s what I see far too often. Leaders who are afraid to take a stand. Leaders who waffle when they should stand tall. That behavior just offends me…that’s my bias and I admit it. We're going to explore how we build and demonstrate courage.

Peace is possible. Peace is probable when peace-seekers unite with intention. Dennis Courtney shares strategies that we can use to create peace on the micro and macro levels.

Self-compassion is the ability to be kind, gentle, and loving to ourselves. It enables us to silence our inner critic and give affirming messages. Dennis Courtney explains how we can develop and demonstrate self-compassion.

There are times when we have to let go of people, of habits, of practices. The theme of this podcasts is let go, let grow. My premise is that when we hold on too long and too tight, we stifle ourselves and other people. Let's explore that premise in this podcast.

Is your face in the place? Part of advancing your brand means being seen in the right places by the right people. I’m not saying that you have to attend every conference, cocktail party, and virtual gathering. I am saying that you need to be strategic about where you show up, literally and figuratively. This podcast will give you tools to do that!

There’s so much talk about getting and keeping talent. It’s giving a lot of my clients heartburn…they’re having a tough time keeping their best people. I’d like to address how to get great people, how to grow them, and how to keep them.