While I was completing my MBA, I was also working for someone who taught me an important lesson about leadership and communication. During the orientation process, my supervisor reviewed with me a prepared list of her expectations. One of the categories she reviewed was communication. She shared how she liked to work with her employees, how often we would have one-on-one meetings, and how to decide whether a topic required face-to-face communication, a phone call, or an email

As I coach high achievers that are in the process of finding their professional identities, I’ve observed that some believe they need to...

The idea of a bucket list - things a person hopes to experience before they die - was popularized in the 2007 film The Bucket List. In...

Think of an interaction that has gone well for both you and the person you were communicating with. Now think of an interaction that didn’t go as well as you would have liked. In the first interaction, you were likely communicating from above the line. In the second, you were likely communicating from below the line. When we communicate from above the line, we are open to new ideas, we ask questions, and we are committed to growth and learning. Conversely, when we communicate

Think about someone you’ve met and admired but you have lost touch with. You may have shared a common interest with the person, they may have been there for you during an important moment, or you may have only had a brief conversation with them, but that conversation impacted you in a special way. These are often people we want to maintain relationships with, but for a variety of reasons we don’t. The good news is that it only takes a little effort on our part to reconnect. T

My work provides me the opportunity to interact with a large number of highly motivated people who are eager to put their skills to use. Most are excellent individual contributors, but when it comes to managing others many of them struggle to know how to delegate. The will/skill matrix is a helpful framework when leading a team or managing others. The two dimensions of “will” and “skill” can help you understand which tasks are appropriate for delegation. “Will” speaks to an i

The Basic Communication Model Explained When communication breaks down, we too often label it “miscommunication.” Unfortunately, this word doesn’t help us understand how to improve or prevent similar situations from occurring in the future. An understanding of the basic communication model helps to identify more precise causes of miscommunication and improve the way we communicate with others. The basic communication model depicts communication as a process of sending and rec

For most of my life my default response when a new opportunity has been presented to me has been yes . That approach has served me well. Saying yes has allowed me to learn about myself, develop new skills, and meet interesting people. But more recently I’ve found benefit in exercising caution before committing to new opportunities. Before taking on a new commitment, consider whether you are really excited about it, and if you decide you aren't, then say no . However, being

by Joyce Sutphen Tilt your head slightly to one side and lift your eyebrows expectantly. Ask questions. Delve into the subject at hand or...

My first 40 hour a week job was painting college dormitories the summer I turned 15. A combination of the manual labor and repetitiveness of the tasks reinforced my desire to go to college, but there were a few things about that job that I really enjoyed. In addition to interacting with a wide variety of interesting people and learning a useful trade, I learned a lesson about the rhythm of work. Being a painter involves more than painting. We could only paint after we moved t