Jenny Tarwarter shared lots of incredible techniques, but I want to hone in on 3 questions we used which were simple and effective.

I have a long list of fails large and small. We all do. What we do about it, how we react and build a “recover and learn from it” plan is everything. It’s also noteworthy if you’re afraid (or your teammate is afraid) to admit to a challenge or roadblock.

How can we work through transitions to find and embrace opportunity? This post will share some ways to center yourself and move through the disruption that I have found helpful.

It stands to reason that innovation requires breaking new ground, but often at work the climate and time to try new things is—shall we say?—lacking. Enter, the experimentation mindset.

Not only do questions help frame challenges and focus the conversation, but done thoughtfully, questions are an important tool to help a team self-manage and thrive. They also have the added benefit of fostering curiosity, candor, and active listening. Let’s dig in with some techniques to try.

For my part, even as a kid, I was raised to try to learn how to fail. This was confusing advice, but ultimately foundational as I explored, tried new things and adjusted in my career. Never easy, failure has served as a way to free me up for something new.

Whether you’re a newly forming team or a bonded squad who can finish each other’s sentences, embracing a culture of continuous improvement is a powerful ingredient to achieving elite team performance.

You confer with your team. Everyone tells you how amazing you are. Or conversely people tell you you’re doing it all wrong. What do you do?

I asked them what advice they’d share with younger kids who are starting out in school. We had a great discussion. I listened, logged and then reflected upon their insights.

I sometimes have to call on my reframing technique multiple times a day! Grounding yourself in context, making sure you aren’t overemphasizing the negative thought or moment is important. And when thinking about how to solve a thorny challenge, choose a path within your toolkit.

You went on interviews, invested time in learning about the role, getting to know the team. They make an offer. You think about it. Sleep on it. And ultimately decide you don’t want to make the move. Why and how you turn down that role matters. Here’s some hard earned lessons.

This is a cautionary tale of a senior executive. He moved from being a big thinker / get his hands dirty kind of manager, to a manager who needed an advance team to prep him for even a coffee. His team wanted to protect him, but the down-side was he became insulated.

I believe strongly that feedback is a gift. That said, not all feedback is equal. Enter the type of feedback which makes me crazy—what I call “handling.” I define being handled as someone giving me feedback with a twist of manipulation.

I remember when I took a role at a new company with the “it boss” (for the first time). I fell into a trap of treating “being in favor” as if it was a stable state of being. And having experienced it many times, there is a much better way to embrace and ride through the cycle.

Lately I’ve started to observe colleagues interacting, managers leading, and teammates collaborating with a new lens that has brought the world into a clearer, more powerful focus: empathy. Here’s three ways on how to start viewing people and embracing empathy at work.

Years ago, in a comfortable groove working at my firm, I was so heads down I took little notice of the world outside my bubble. The problem with the bubble was I was often overlooked for big assignments. Quite by accident I realized I was missing a critical element which changed the course of my career trajectory. The secret ingredient was when I got outside my comfort zone, and connected with people I felt I had nothing in common with. A

Ever have those moments when you’re just babbling from burnout? Or worse yet, when you’ve lost your happy feeling and start to lose patience? The real question is, have I reached my limit and is it time to recharge?

If people in your office work non-stop and don’t take any time off, that is a symptom of a potentially damaging work culture. And a bad work culture stifles innovation, contributes to low employee engagement and high turnover which impacts revenue and growth... I could go on, but you get the picture.

I love being on a trip. And I love thinking about and talking about the place I visited. I get such a boost and recharge, am so full of joy and inspiration, that I wanted to reflect on how this might be replicated anywhere—like home!

Would you be surprised to learn that the most nerve wracking thing for me when it comes to public speaking is not the actual speaking part? It’s in the preparation and making sure what I get up there and say is something the audience wants and needs to hear. The truth is even the best, most inspirational speakers put in a huge amount of work before you see them on stage. Here are some of my biggest lessons.