The Leadership Shot

I’m not going to convince you 1:1 meetings are important. You know that. Instead, I want to share with you 5 mistakes leaders commonly make when they arrange or hold 1:1 meetings. Changing your approach after learning these mistakes will help you hold more impactful meetings. You’ll save time and you’ll feel better about your leadership and work. While there’s a lot you can probably change with yo...

Have you ever left a meeting--walked out the conference room door or clicked “End Meeting”--and groaned to yourself about something you said or did? “I can’t believe I said that!” or “Oh my gosh, why do I do that?” or “Wow, I looked so stupid.” This is self-talk. You talking to yourself. And while we ca tell ourselves anything, the vast majority of us have negative self-talk. We harp on ourselves....

Do you have an employee or a peer who is in pain and needs some very honest advice? You want to have a talk with them, a heart-to-heart. But having an effective heart-to-heart conversation is not something most companies provide on-the-job training for.  Knowing when and how to have a heart-to-heart talk is critical to your success as a leader and to helping your employees stay focused and engaged...

Each workday in September 2023, I shared a short video lesson. And I’ve been summarizing lessons in podcasts. So, here’s a chance—a choice—for you to lead by listening. I want you to move willingly towards and into leadership on the outside and the inside. It's Back to Leadership) School.  This is the final episode in a series of three, sharing quick insights on how to get you back into your...

Each workday in September 2023, I'm sharing a short video lesson. And I’ve been summarizing lessons in podcasts. So, here’s a chance—a choice—for you to lead by listening. I want you to move willingly towards and into leadership on the outside and the inside. It's Back to Leadership School. Join me!

Growing up, I always dreaded this time of year, as school started the first Tuesday of September.  On the outside, I went back willingly (new school supplies!). But on the inside, I was kicking and screaming, "NOOOO!!!"  Kids don't have a choice. They have to go back to school. Leaders have a choice. You have a choice. You can choose to lead. Or not. I want you to move willingly tow...

Wouldn't it be nice if you had some examples of low EQ of low emotional intelligence, things you could look for in yourself and others that would tell you know what? “That's not good. That's not effective. That's not how I want to operate or have somebody on my team operating.” Well, I've got you covered. Because in this episode of the Leadership Shot, I'm going to sh...

To raise your EQ you need examples of what to do. What to focus on. In this episode, I share a list of 10 signs of high emotional intelligence. These are behaviors, actions, things to do that show high emotional intelligence. Can you see yourself in this list? Can you see your team, your peers, your friends, your family in what I share? Use this list to focus on how to raise your emotional intelli...

I’m sure you’ve heard this before: people join companies, and they leave managers.  Here’s another way to think about it: people don't quit jobs; they quit bosses.  The primary ingredient in your job satisfaction isn’t the office and how fancy it is, the workload, salary, or benefits. It's the relationship with your boss. With your manager. In this episode of The Leadership Shot, I share...

I feel your relationship with your manager is the most important one you’ll have in any role at any company.  Yes, you’ll have great peers to work with you, and you’ll likely hire and collaborate with amazing team members. But your relationship with your manager is one that will impact you the most. And calling how to work with your manager “managing up” isn’t accurate. It’s much more than that. A...

Last week I shared ten top things that awesome leaders do. This week, let's look at the flip side and talk about 10 things that CRAPPY leaders do!

In this episode I'm sharing ten things awesome leaders do. Think about whether or not you can implement some of these  ten actions or characteristics to be a better leader.

Apologizing doesn't always come easy, but it's an important skill for leaders at all levels. In this episode, I'm sharing  five top tips to help you apologize more effectively.

You've set your SMART goals, and now you need to talk about them! In this episode I'm diving into why you need to share your goals, who you should be sharing them with, and how to do it in the most effective way possible.

In this episode, I’m going to bust some common myths on goal setting. There are 5 common myths about goals I want to discuss. These are things I feel many leaders believe in falsely, and it holds them and their teams back.  

Unless you’ve lived under a rock and in a cave and been there for a long time, you’ve heard of SMART goals. It sounds so simple, right? Using the acronym SMART to write great goals. But I think you know that an easy-to-remember acronym doesn’t write the goals for you.  I think it can be easier to write SMART goals, and if you’re like most of the leaders I know, you need some help with this.  So, j...

If you led a team or function during the pandemic, you used some skills new to you, and you had to double down on other skills you had been using for a while. As I coached leaders during the pandemic, I noted the behaviors strong leaders were falling back on—and those they were developing anew. These leaders juggled remote work, masking on and masking off, and being resilient, and they managed the...

Let's admit it: the term psychological safety can make you groan or roll your eyes. Leaders know they have to learn about it, but it seems too hard to understand what it is and how to implement it--without reading a long book or taking a class. I'm making it easy for you! In this episode, I interview Minette Norman, one of the authors of the new book, The Psychological Safety Playbook . ...

Has it been three years since the pandemic started? It's crazy but true.  What's changed for you during the last three years? How have you grown as a leader? I've continued to coach executives and teams during the last three crazy years, and in this episode, I share post-pandemic leadership lessons.  I've collected a list of what I feel leaders have done differently: the best p...

In my 25 years of coaching executives, I've learned there are some common tough love conversations they don't want to have.  I wonder if you might also struggle with these discussions. You know you need to have them, but they are awkward and difficult. Primarily because you love some element of what you're talking about: the topic, the project, the person, the company, etc. You love...

This episode is bit different than my usual ones, and that's a GREAT thing because for my first interview on this podcast, I spoke with Amy Porterfield. Amy Porterfield is the host of the top-ranked podcast "Online Marketing Made Easy." She's also the author of the new book, Two Weeks Notice: Find the Courage to Quit Your Job, Make More Money, Work Where You Want, and Change th...

Do you want an easy way to assess your leadership? Or to plan your leadership to look back at a certain time period--such as a quarter or a whole year? Well, I've got you covered because in this episode, I'm going to walk you through three exercises to help you plan to be a better leader. We're going to talk about your skills, your hard and soft skills. We're going to talk abou...

Do you ever look at your calendar and sigh as you see the same weekly status meeting that could be an email instead? Or maybe you look at it and smile, thinking about the meeting with a high performer and how you love coaching them. Well, your calendar not only helps you plan your work and tells you which conference room or the Zoom link, but it can also be a tool to help you grow your self-awaren...

I love and hate the idea of New Year’s Resolution. I bet you feel the same way. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the energy of the new year and then get frustrated. Whether you write resolutions or not, there are some common myths out there--statements that can put pressure on you as you start a new calendar year. When you think about creating resolutions, I want to help you avoid falling into so...

Think about the last time you got praise—especially when you received it from someone you respect. It felt so good, right? It makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. This feeling is what your team wants and needs. They want your praise. Yet many leaders think that giving positive feedback or praise isn’t necessary. I have four reasons why you need to give your team members consistent positive feedba...