When looking for a coach, it helps to seek out someone who will tell you the things that are going to be hard to hear. If you’re the coach, you should strive to be that person. The struggle is how to deliver hard-to-hear information without making the person on the other side feel like trash. Even in situations where someone is making the most basic mistakes (in your opinion), you need to keep your cool. [Read more…]

I was in this restaurant, home of some of the best pulled pork I’ve had in some time, and a noticed a sign on the wall that resonated with me.

It said “asking dumb questions is easier than correcting dumb mistakes”.

How many times have you been in a training or workshop or speech and had a question you wanted to ask but you held back because you didn’t want to be the person asking the stupid question?

Instead, you hold your tongue and try to quiet your curiosity until the urge to clarify your understanding passes. You can do better than that. [Read more…]

Last week, I received a message from someone that gave me chills. It started with a simple declaration, “tomorrow is my last day at the firm.” While you generally feel people voluntarily leaving the firm is less than ideal, it’s part of the business world’s circle of life. When I probed more, that’s when the weight fell on my shoulders. [Read more…]