I always enjoy listening to what people tell me about themselves in personal and professional settings.  I’ve interviewed hundreds of people—more often than not, most start with their positive attributes and end with their flaws.  Of course, we all have both, but how people express themselves in tone and non-verbal cues makes a difference in my […]

Looking Forward Be proud of yourself. First of all, you are still here as am I. Banging the drum as they say ….making the most out of everyday. This week, each year, I look back at the accomplishments personally and professionally. The point is not to make myself feel like crap, but to pat myself […]

Selling Your Point of View and Product—It’s One and The Same Let’s face it, from the moment we wake up in the morning until we close our eyes at night, we’re all selling. Whether we’re selling ourselves, selling a product, selling a service, an opinion or point of view, doing it well is a trained […]

Finding Your Voice—What does that mean? Forming that first sentence that expresses your point of view and sets the tone for what you are about to say or write will come naturally once you’ve found your voice. For some of us, it takes years to find our voice. It’s a start and stop process.  How […]

As one matures the beauty of perspective changes. In our 20s we can conquer the world, have endless energy, and consider a change to be positive. In our 30s some of us become cautious and start to look at challenges from a perspective that is not only singular.  My 40s and early 50’s have been filled […]

WORK SPOUSE 101 Work relationships that work are priceless.  Effortless. Fun. Sympatico. They make it worth showing up to your company everyday. You have a crush on their talent.  You know each other’s awkward stories by heart and have a set of running inside jokes. No it’s not your significant other. It’s your work spouse. […]

Office Politics Is Like Taxes! How does anyone survive Office Politics? It’s painful and exists at the top, middle and even our friends who have just started working.  Office Politics is like taxes; they never go away, you pay a big price for not paying attention and you will get nailed if you don’t play […]

Welcome! This is a series of questions and answers which  I have been asked and have answered in multiple ways, multiple times.  Often, I find that the basics questions are the most valuable as it’s hard to be in the middle of your own daily drama, daily storyline and be able to see and feel […]

Recently I got remarried after a long courtship. Keith and I knew each other in college. We both married others and had children and when we did reconnect, the children met. My children are living with us, and his children live with his ex-wife who doesn’t live too far away. During the courtship, his children […]

Your job is to serve The Big Cheese. If you are R-U-D-E and surly, you will get F-I-R-E-D. It’s that simple. A boss is not going to tolerate being treated with dis-respect. I can’t tell you how shocked I’ve been at the behavior of some of the people I’ve managed, or at some of the […]

As you watch your kids trot off to school in the morning, it may have entered your mind that you want and NEED to get your brain back to work but you don’t know where to start.  The game is calling for you and it may mean working for someone else, or deciding to being […]

When I started working, no one told me I needed to learn a new language. No one told me there was vocabulary specific to my chosen career. We weren’t taught the basics of Office Politics and Culture in college. Unprepared, we were thrown to the boss-wolves and left to navigate on our own. Some of […]

There are two sides to this topic—you trusting someone and that person trusting you.  Most experts agree, solid trust is the foundation of a healthy work environment.  It can be built over years and permanently torn in a matter of seconds. According to Google: Trust is a characteristic that builds respect and loyalty, as well as […]

Most young business professionals’ knowledge of wine may range from the cheap wine selections from the grocery store that they devour after a long day at work with their feet kicked up on the couch with a good book. However, a bottle of wine and the knowledge that can go along with it is now […]

Imagine growing up in a small town in the south; your future is virtually predetermined. You’ll live in that town your whole life. You might go to college. You’ll spend your life trying to find a husband, who you’ve probably grown up knowing. You will either work in the school system, behind a desk from […]

I have two or three parts to my career life.  One is an author and thus, an Office Culture and Politics as a result of the book and 30+ years working experience for the best and the worst in Fortune 500, start ups and mid-sized companies.  As a brand expert, I have grown the top […]