Hey Reader - Have you been flying under the radar, quietly mumbling with skepticism about AI? Well, itâs time to come out, come out from wherever you are, because youâre in good company. In a recent poll, 46% of respondents reported viewing AI negatively. And to make that statistic even crazier, even the US Immigration and Enforcement team had a slightly better standing. But hereâs the thing: AI is a fact of working life. So, the answer isnât as simple as ignoring it and trying to turn back...
8 days ago â˘Â 3 min read
Hey Reader - Celebrity stylist Erin Walsh has a non-negotiable for clients: Get rid of clothes from your old life. Sometimes your old life is keeping the suit you wore when you aced a job interview. Other times, itâs hanging on to potential, where the shoes you spent too much money on hide out on the highest shelf. But the twist is that the best wardrobe isnât built on stuffâit hinges on confidence. So, whether a client is longing for the future or hung up in nostalgia, she pushes them to...
11 days ago â˘Â 2 min read
Hey Reader - My friend Harry had a bumpy Spring Break. After a year of being remarried, he decided it was time for a family project. Harry opened the garage door one morning and enthusiastically announced, âEverything goes on the driveway, and nothing goes back in unless it has a home!â Thatâs a great spring cleaning taskâon paper. But then reality kicked in. The eye rolls from his teenage stepkids started immediately. His wife tried to be optimistic, hoping four people working together could...
22 days ago â˘Â 3 min read
Hey Reader - Have you ever known someone who seemed indispensable, but suddenly fell from grace? That's what happened to Kelsey. Kelsey was a real stand-out. She had all the elements: A killer resume, competence, and tenure. There was only one problem: Her advice usually packed a punch. In a way, she wasn't at fault. Her company had a long practice of trying to spur healthy competition, and Kelsey was all in. But the âanything you can do, I can do betterâ mindset meant conversations quickly...
29 days ago â˘Â 3 min read
Hey Reader - Spring cleaning is out in full force on my For You Page. From dust mites to subscriptions, everything's getting a refresh! But don't limit sorting and decluttering to your closet. Instead, also include intangibles like skilling on your list. It's tempting to overhaul everything at once, but that just leads to overwhelm. Instead, simply release anything that will block your Future Self. That's what we'll talk about in the April series, Spring Clean Your People Skills. By the end...
about 1 month ago â˘Â 2 min read
Hey Reader - I once worked with a woman who had a knack for instant answers. It seemed like she had options for doors #1, #2, or #3 in seconds. When I asked for the secret to her success, she laughed, "Oh, I have twins. Finding real time answers is my superpower!" Luckily, you don't need to juggle twins to be as accomplished as my teammate. Just model her methodology: Combine creativity and dedication to find workable solutions, then roll with the changes. How Do You Solve for the Collective?...
about 2 months ago â˘Â 2 min read
Hey Reader - "Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?!" one of my favorite co-workers likes to joke. You have to admit that's pretty funny! Another teammate grinned but rolled his eyes. He sighed, "I used to think the same thing. But I've learned the hard way that there's always more. An emergency project pops up. The person you have a dependency on is out for Spring Break. Or a decision maker gets sick. When I started this job, I thought I'd have pockets of breathing room. Now...
about 2 months ago â˘Â 2 min read
Hey Reader - Once I was asked to lead a cross-group project to fix a broken process. By the time the team formed, the workflow was so busted that everyone was happy about a refresh. I thought my Lead would be thrilled to hear how quickly we pinpointed the gaps and adjusted. That's why her opening gotcha question of, "Who's the bad guy here?" threw me off balance. I'm not normally at a loss for words, but I was stunned. Suddenly, her problem-solving narrative became clear: "Find the bad guy....
2 months ago â˘Â 2 min read
Hey Reader - After decades of marriage, Broadway star Mandy Patinkin and his wife Kathryn Grody know a little something about conflict. On their podcast Don't Listen to Us, Grody complained how splashy celebrity weddings give people the impression that marriage is a series of Instagram moments. More often, the daily grind is filled with differences of opinion, hard conversations, and working to find the middle ground. And here's one more tip no one tells you: There's usually more to the...
2 months ago â˘Â 2 min read