For me, the fall season is usually an exciting time of onboarding new clients, launching a new project, taking a class, and reconnecting with friends and family over the High Holidays and Thanksgiving. This year, I’ve found myself resisting the usual rush of activity. I don’t think I’m alone in wanting life to just slow down.
A year ago in this newsletter, I profiled one of my clients, Alexis Ashworth who had left her Executive position with a non-profit organization to launch a new social enterprise, Root in Nature.
I love this time of year. As the layers of heavy clothing come off, I start to feel lighter. I notice that even during difficult times, I can bounce back faster. It’s as if the sudden signs of natural growth give me an extra boost to overcome the every day challenges in my professional and personal life.
“You are never too small to make a difference.” - Greta Thunberg March 8th is International Women’s Day and this year I was invited to participate in a panel discussion Deepening the Leadership Capacity of Women Today: A Conversation on Action. The panel prompted me to look into the history of International Women’s Day which originated at the turn of the 20th century as a political movement advocating for women’s suffrage and equality rights. By 1977, the United Nations General Assembly recognized IWD and many countries began to mark the day in different ways – from celebratory rallies to [...]
After almost two years of distance and differences keeping people apart, it’s not surprising to hear stories of fractured families, strained friendships and interpersonal conflicts brewing at work. The pandemic has hurt a lot of professional and personal relationships in deep ways. As businesses and organizations prepare (again) for re-opening and returning to work, who is helping work place teams reconnect and rebuild their relationships? Many leaders I work with are feeling frustrated and ill equipped for the task. They are expected to step up, re-engage with teams and prepare for a return to a new “normal”, but there is [...]
It’s been another challenging year. For some people, the dark days of December can be particularly difficult. For me personally, it takes more effort to stay active, connected and engaged. Last week my family celebrated Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. As I lit the candles for eight nights, I used the ritual to remind myself of the blessings in my life – including the work I do as a coach that connects me with so many talented people who are trying to make a difference in their communities and work places. One of my coach colleagues, Terri Karpish, [...]
At this time of year, the natural world presents a magical opportunity to explore the meaning of change and transformation. Living in Ontario, the autumn colours remind me that it’s time to pull out my woolen socks, hit the hiking trails, and take one last plunge in the lake before the frost sets in. Perhaps more than any other time of year, I am in awe of the magic of the changing season and draw inspiration from it. How does this season inspire you? What does it signal about the changes you are contemplating? What new path do you [...]
According to recent reports, an increasing number of people are making significant career changes at mid-life, including resigning from jobs without another one secured.
A year ago, I facilitated a conversation with the awesome Catherine Chang on how we can make space for diverse voices to be heard in our work places. How are leaders doing one year later to foster more inclusive conversations at work? One senior executive I’ve been coaching is an expert in his field who moved up through the ranks at the same company over 25 years. With in depth knowledge and expertise, he’s known as the “go to guy” in the room. Recently he acknowledged the extent of his privilege, and how it enabled him to progress into leadership with relative ease. He’s spent [...]
Last week an article on languishing in the NYTimes caught my attention. Authored by Adam Grant, a professor of management and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, he named languishing the new emotion of 2021 and referred to it as the "neglected middle child of mental health". Its not as bad as depression or burnout, but it is taking its toll as the pandemic wears us down. "Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield". * Put another way, languishing is the [...]