People often ask me how to judge if they are stuck in “Analysis Paralysis”.
How much study is too much?
There is no single answer here, but to answer that question, I find it useful to start with the business outcome in mind, and then to set a budget for how much study a particular plan or answer is worth. Read More
Awhile back I wrote an article called, Who is worth listening to?.
It’s worth reading if you haven’t seen it, but the main point was that the goal of listening is simply to make people feel listened-to. Read More
I remember when I had my first big leadership job. I overheard someone say, “Whenever people talk about Patty they always say…” I was shocked, not at whatever people said, but at the fact that people were talking about me! Read More
In my experience, mentors have a bigger impact on your success than virtually anything you can do outside of your own efforts.
Building your career without mentors is like trying to climb Mt. Everest without a Sherpa and guide. Read More
How does the idea of a scavenger hunt relate to business?
Think about how a scavenger hunt works. You get a list of random stuff that you have go find and do, and you need to show that you have collected those things and experiences. Read More
When I started my first executive job, in my first 2 weeks, I did 1-1 meetings with more than 100 people. I talked about why, and what happened in my TEDx talk.
But the thing I want to talk about today, is that after that, I wanted to find a way to continue communicating with people as individuals, but I certainly could not make a habit of doing 50+ 1-1 meeting every week! Read More
A question I receive really frequently is how to have a better staff meeting.
I wrote an article about this awhile back which was really popular called Stop Having Status Meetings: 5 better things to do instead. Read More
A few years ago, I read an article that really stuck with me. I can’t find it again now, but let me paraphrase and share with you the part that stood out.
In my recent TEDx talk: Reclaiming Humanity at Work, I told a story about how when I started a new executive level job, that I wasn’t sure exactly what I was supposed to be doing. Read More
I’m happy to announce that my TEDx talk can now be viewed online!
I have been asked that interview question for my whole life as I was growing my career.
I am recalling being in my twenties, sitting across the table from a grizzly and embittered executive who would ask me, “Who are your enemies?”
When I would fail to produce a list of enemies, the interviewer would look at me with disdain, like I was the most irrelevant person on the planet, implying, “How can you claim to be competent if you haven’t made powerful enemies?”
That scene seems so ridiculous to me now. Read More
