Perfectionism is sometimes justified as having high standards. No one brags about low standards. You go too far when you become consumed with “getting everything right” and lose your sense of priorities. Think about your most challenging current project, and what it would take for you to be happy with your work on it. Are […]
As the year winds down, it’s important to review how you are doing in relation to goals you have set, professionally and personally. A great way to get feedback from others in your environment is to conduct your own informal “360.” It’s a highly effective tool to develop self-awareness and get input on how others […]
Improving your EI is about managing your inner response to things and choosing a new way to handle your inner reaction to people and situations. For example, Bob is a leader who has little impulse control and in meetings or even in casual interactions, he would frequently interrupt others to make his point. Worse yet, […]
The biggest reason leaders fail is not intelligence or IQ, but lack of emotional intelligence or EI. Fortunately, EI is developable; IQ isn’t. Research shows that the leadership art of influencing others to achieve common business and organizational goals is based on inner strengths, the ability to build mutual satisfying working relationships, effective decision-making and […]
One of the keys to building confidence is making mistakes and even failing. You learn from taking risks especially if some don’t work out. Challenging experiences help to bolster your competence and seed confidence. Experiencing failure, especially when you are young, can forge a life-long habit of resilience. People, who learn from failure instead of […]
Some are able to say “no” to a request or opportunity and feel good about it. “This just isn’t the right fit for me” or “I don’t have the bandwidth right now – I hope you understand” are ways they opt out confidently. Others avoid saying “no” altogether because they don’t want to jeopardize a […]
Empathy alone is not enough. As someone who has studied empathy for many years, first in graduate school and now as an executive coach and facilitator, it is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for communication and change. Empathy is the ability to experience what it must be like to be in another’s emotional […]
by Laura S. Scott, Key Women’s Leadership Facilitator As a reformed perfectionist, I understand the appeal of perfection. Whether it’s the aesthetic appeal of a perfectly cut diamond or the yummy perfection of a beautifully decorated wedding cake, we all appreciate perfection on the occasions it shows up in our lives. We marvel because perfection […]
After the devastation of Hurricane Harvey that hit Texas and Louisiana, I was struck by how many of those interviewed were grateful – a young mother who lost everything – an elderly couple displaced – a homeless man staying at a shelter. The common theme was thankfulness. Safety for oneself and one’s loved ones far […]
All of us have felt the sting of rejection. Perhaps you didn’t get into the college of your choice, get a date with someone you had a crush on or got passed by for a promotion. It’s hard to shore up “positive thinking” with not fulfilling a treasured goal. We are told in our culture […]
