When crisis hits at work, reach for your purple crayon đïžđ Are you in crisis right now? If not, have you ever experienced one and can you remember it? In the book Harold and the Purple Crayon*, a boy escapes catastrophe thanks to a magic crayon. In the grip of calamity, do you wish you […]
Read MoreâMy manager is toxic. Can you really help?â I hear this far too often from prospective clients. Donât despair: Relationship Wisdom can help even with toxic people đ€ When it comes to toxic people, very little helps. Thatâs true. But itâs not nothing. I had three toxic managers over the course of my 24-year career. […]
Read MoreWhen You Drive a Cross-Functional Initiative, Youâre Putting Your Organizational Credibility on the Line In this article series, I explore how Relationship Friction and Relationship Wisdom shape career progression through apparently innocuous and yet critical, often recurring workplace moments. We began with the Direct Contributor, examining what happens when a task is assigned and misunderstood. […]
Read MoreâYou will function better. It might not be at your current workplace though.â This is what I told a prospective client the other day. Three main blocks hinder ambitious professionals from thriving and advancing in their career: 1ïžâŁ fear â of reputation damage, loss of opportunity, and even rejection/marginalisation 2ïžâŁ lack of clarity â confusion […]
Read MoreWe obsess over labels when all we really need is presence. My truth: coaching is not a doing thing. Itâs a being thing. Itâs me with you. I am being me, and I help you be more of you. The other day someone asked me about the difference between coaching and therapy. I get that […]
Read MoreWhat experiences are you allowing that rewire your brain to make you less than you could be? Your brain canât tell the difference between a blessing in disguise and a poisoned chalice. It just adapts. Last month, I shared with you my conviction that Relationship Friction shapes us into who we can grow into. Its […]
Read MoreWhen You Delegate a Task as a First Time Manager, No Less Than the Future of Your Entire Team Is at Stake Last month, we looked at a defining moment in the career of a Direct Contributor: the moment when a manager entrusts them with a task or project. For the employee receiving the […]
Read MoreYou are being let down by a ghost đ» Not by your manager. Or your colleague. Or your team member. Rather: you are being let down by the version of people that exists ONLY  in your head. When I was in Australia recently, everyone called us âyou guys.â Waiters, guides⊠everyone. At first I found […]
Read MoreNow you know AI is an ineffective coach, be careful you donât hire its human equivalent đ€ I am concerned the coaching industry is increasingly defaulting to a standard of polite validation over rigorous challenge â unwittingly mimicking the AI sycophancy I deplored the other week. There is a dangerous misconception that high-impact coaching is […]
Read MoreâAlexandra, youâre already out of a job,â an AI creator warned me recently. AI has several PhDs in psychology. As such, it can give you well-meaning advice. It will list relationship skills, explain active listening, and offer tips to resolve conflict. It will write you a long recipe about how to influence. It knows all […]
Read MoreWould you like to know why youâre abandoning your New Yearâs resolutions? Did you wince when you read that? If so, it wasnât the first time, was it? There is no shortage of research and analysis on how quickly we drop our New Year resolutions. Psychologists call it âself-sabotageâ: doing whatâs harmful and suffering about […]
Read MoreRelationship Wisdom: The Antidote that Transforms Relationship Friction into Career Momentum There’s a particular kind of professional exhaustion that has nothing to do with workload. It shows up as dread before certain meetings, the weight of unresolved tensions, or that persistent sense that you’re working twice as hard for half the recognition. You deliver excellent […]
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