In my experience that’s in large measure the result of a solid partnership between the CEO and the COO, and this post will focus on the secret sauce of that par

Here is some food for thought on how to build a more transparent working style and become the super hero of communication and trust.

Practicing design thinking on my teams has sparked innovation, fostered a user-centric mindset, and gotten cross-functional teams working together towards our common goal.

We're all slowly getting back into the swing of things. Tips for getting back to the office

Speaking truth to power is something so fundamental to the role of a trusted advisor and member of a senior leadership team, and keeps the culture strong and and organization healthy.

Agile values (AV) and Agile principles (AP) have served as a foundation and source of inspiration as I’ve served in various leadership roles, particularly as I was building out organizations who want to grow quickly, with big results. And because the vocabulary can be so specific and “strange” to most corporate environments, and to people who had no training, the Agile terminology actually serves as a barrier to people who could benefit from the Agile values and principles.

I am generally an optimistic, can-do kinda gal. But not always. For many people this is a surprise. There are moments, heck even weeks (months) where my secret sauce is off. Here’s some things I’ve learned when I find myself in a funk, and start to look for the whereabouts of my mojo.

Last winter I started and stopped writing about how overloaded and overwhelmed I feel with the onslaught of technology choices— specifically the myriad of tools and ecosystems trying connect people. I decided to try asking my friends what they thought and how they coped, and they shared their own tales of woe.

My daughter loves to bake. Not only to reap the rewards of mixing together ingredients for cakes and cookies, but she just enjoys doing it herself, thank you very much! Her process of learning to bake has been an interesting one. If I simply ask her to watch me run through a recipe, she’s antsy and distracted. But if I ask her to participate— and tell her next time she’s on her own, it’s a whole different ball game. She’s asking questions, demanding that she tries things out on her own, and pushing herself to think about learning in a more active, engaged way.

This post will explore saying no with ways you can apply it to your own life. The idea is if you steer clear of distractions, you have more time and energy to focus on what you care about. Simple, right? Not as much as you’d think.

I don’t have everything figured out. I don’t necessarily know that best way to do things—I just know what I have tried and what sometimes works for me. Thought I’d spend some time sharing my life hacks, and hopefully you can swap some of your own with me.

How do I jump onto a new project, assignment or learning curve and straddle that tightrope of doing well and not being a dummy, while being terrified?

This post has no suggestions on how I’ve learned to network through the agony (by all means share your tips, I literally have nothing) of that scenario. I have tried numerous times to do it and each time I’m left in need of a vacation and quiet time. Instead, I want to talk to the people organizing those experiences and suggest some alternatives so someone like me knows the coast is clear and it’s safe to return to the conference (or whatever).

Have you ever held back for fear of damaging the relationship? Or conversely, have you given someone feedback and noticed a rift? There are perils, sure. Yet the benefits of candor done right are many.

My grandmother Leah (aka Nanny) was a wonderful person. I loved her amazing baking skills (apple pie, cookies) and delicious meals (meatballs she would make, count and freeze, roast chicken). She wrote me many special letters and was full of interesting stories and a sense of adventure. But I remember a saying she used to share with me, which I think about a lot today as a working mom.

This post is for those unconventional types who are thinking about their career path, and who are stumped in how to position themselves for their next big thing. Here are some thoughts on how to talk about your “outside-the-box” talents.

Have you ever started the day with too many items on your to-do list and not enough hours? Okay that’s everyone— arguably a dumb question. But if I were to unpack that, at the heart is the question: are you clear about your “hell yeah?”

I want my kids to understand what their working mom is up to all day. It matters to me that they see that effort and teamwork involved in my job. And that they get a sense of hard work as something they can tackle and enjoy one day.

I can't say I've cornered the market on self-awareness, but I do make an effort to get better at it. In a quick search for a synonym for the word self-aware, I found the antonyms more illuminating: clueless, oblivious, uninformed, unsophisticated, foolhardy, foolish, ignorant, thoughtless. But too often, self-awareness is rare in a leader, especially the more power, influence and seniority a leader has.

Here are 3 (I only have so much time—so I’m going to limit it there) things about me which are real and messy. And maybe some lessons? No idea— we’ll see where this is going.