Ninety percent of us work for someone else, regardless of our seniority or status. As with great works of art, we have learned to recognize good bosses when we see them, but their specific qualities may prove difficult to define. The word “boss” is often used interchangeably with “leader,” “manager” or “supervisor,” and it conjures up memories of the good, the bad and the ugly ones we’ve endured throughout our careers. Th...

Most of us can tell horror stories about the boss from hell. He or she might have been a micro-manager or so work-driven that employees didn’t have a life. The boss was unhappy and took out his/her frustration on employees. Bad bosses can be more destructive than those nasty “Killer Bees”.Killer BossesStanford University management professor Robert I. Sutton, PhD, author of the New York Times bestseller The No Asshole Rule...

The stories we tell ourselves can either create struggle and pain or happiness and fulfillment. Emotionally intelligent leaders are able to tell themselves positive stories that create untold possibility. Enlightened leaders are able to help their organizations shift its culture from good to great. They guide their people in retelling the history and growth of the organization that fully engages people to create a prosperou...

I recently facilitated a Leadership Retreat at a beautiful ocean and beach resort for the Managing Partners of a law firm. We focused a great deal on improving their emotional intelligence-based leadership skills including self-awareness and creating more work/life balance. The legal profession is a highly rewarding, but increasingly demanding profession. Managing partners are often stressed out and some burned out. One o...

I taught a self-management class for fifteen years, and work with scores of coaching clients to improve their self-management. One critical insight that I’ve observed over the years is that the happiest people construct their reality by telling themselves positive stories.I manage my own life by taking time to reflect on the stories I’m telling myself about people and events. I’ve learned that by changing my internal narrat...

“The most important story you will ever tell about yourself is the story you tell to yourself.” ~ Jim Loehr, The Power of Story, Free Press, 2007Stories that don't work happen to everybody. Each of us operates with a variety of organizing principles, or “stories,” that swirl around our brains. They often prompt us to work harder and faster, even though we're not getting any closer to achieving the life we want. Even the mos...

Recently, I’ve received a dramatic increase in requests from companies and law firms seeking help for leaders to improve their “executive presence”. When I inquire into what they mean by executive presence I very often get quite different responses. I seek clarification by asking the HR Director or potential executive coaching client to describe the leader’s current behavior and what cultivating more executive presence woul...

Building Executive Presence - Storytelling for Professional Success I’ve received an increase in requests from companies and law firms seeking help for high potential leaders to improve their “executive presence”. When I inquire into what they mean by executive presence I get responses that are all over the map.I seek clarification by asking the HR person or actual potential executive coaching client to describe the leader’...

I’ve received a noticeable increase in requests from companies and law firms seeking help for high potential leaders to improve their “executive presence”. When I inquire into what they mean by executive presence I get very different responses. I seek clarification by asking the HR Director or potential executive coaching client to describe the leader’s current behavior and what cultivating more executive presence would loo...

I recently facilitated a Leadership Retreat for the Managing Partners of a law firm.We focused a great deal on improving interpersonal communication and creating more work/life balance. The legal profession is a rewarding, but very demanding profession. Managing partners are often stressed out and burned out. One of the partners shared that she was in a constant state of “fight or flight”.During the retreat, we did a very p...