Dear Madeleine, I am a senior manager in a large government agency that has been decimated and paralyzed by our current administration. Don’t worry, I am not going to get political. But I do need help, because growth and opportunity have ground to a standstill in our organization and I have a whole team of…
“If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” –Dr. Maya Angelou It is so rewarding to coach clients who want to be amazing and who dare to rise! They are fully aware of their current reality of operating in the normal status quo and are now ready to…
Dear Madeleine, I love to grow and develop. I always take advantage of any 360° feedback assessments my company offers. I regularly ask my boss, direct reports, and peers for constructive feedback. Lucky for me, my 360° scores are high and I generally hear “just keep doing what you are doing” from my coworkers. That…
Imagine your doctor just told you that you have high blood pressure. That’s important information. However, unless you do something with that information, such as starting medication or altering your diet, nothing will change. You will continue to have high blood pressure. Making a plan and taking action is required to change the situation. The…
Hi Madeleine, I am a hotel manager for a high end property in a large metropolitan city. I am trying to create a program where department heads and midlevel managers at the hotel can come together to chat candidly about their career goals and how to achieve them. I have a vision to devote 30…
Coaching a senior leader can be complicated. They have lots of demands on their time, huge decisions to make, and often do not get a lot of direct, honest feedback from people around them. In fact, coaching anyone can be complicated—because humans are complicated. We are constantly scanning our mental and physical landscapes for…
Good leaders are constantly striving for excellence. They start with themselves, then raise the bar for their team. It’s a journey that requires a combination of self awareness and growth. I had a chance to experience both of these things when I recently accepted a new position with my company. Eight months ago, I stepped…
I am feeling great this week. It must be the benefit of a vacation—not only did we enjoy wonderful weather in a beautiful place, I unplugged from the news as well as from social media. Doing this also removed me from the seemingly endless and snarky commentary that accompanies any substantial story these days. It…
A plant can be limited by a pot that’s too small. In the same way, self-imposed limiting beliefs can restrict your growth and development. People need a big container—a mind that is open—to grow. A small container—limited thinking—inhibits the ability to receive and learn new information. In order to succeed, you must develop the right…
There’s currently some fantastic technology out there, from wearables and self-lacing shoes (yes, like the ones in Back to the Future) to VR and spectacular advances in science that will someday make it to consumer products. But what about beyond the current advances? And what about tech that can help us become better leaders? Currently,…