[Exec Coaching Tips: How to Be Successful] Try Something Different

While lots of us are smart – or at least think we are – almost all of us fall prey to the same common mistake of confusing effectiveness and effort. While effort is really important, the fact of the matter is that trying harder with the wrong approach won’t do much to make you successful.

Why is this important?

There are three behaviors as an executive and leadership team coach that I look for: is the situation diagnosed or understood correctly, are the right  (e.g.Read the rest

Can You Trust the Recruiter?

The voice at the other end of the voicemail sounded sincere and the message they left earlier about the possible job sounds great. But is too good to be true just that: too good to be true?

And can you trust the recruiter who left the message?

The short answer is “maybe”. And here’s more.

I spend my work life coaching people and teams to up their performance game, and one of ways to enhance performance is to improve the ability anticipate what’s coming down the pike.Read the rest

[Through the Glass Door] “Don’t Leave Before You Leave”

Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg offers some gems of advice on her work/life philosophy in the September 23, 2009 issue of Fortune to people in general and women in specific.

Sandberg writes “But after watching talented woman after talented woman pass up opportunities, I realized that too many women make the mistake of leaving before they leave. Here is what is happens: An ambitious, successful woman starts considering having children.Read the rest

[New Rules] Traylor’s World

In the old days, which is anything more than about seven years ago, I would be playing my personal version of “Masters of the Universe” today. The plot would be familiar: take several important meetings, make several important phone calls and send several important e-mails. If it were an unusually important day, I might even be traveling out of town for particularly important meetings.Read the rest