Talent Talk Weekly

Hey Reader, You know that person. Maybe they steamroll meetings like Miranda Priestly, play the victim like George Costanza, disappear like Ferris Bueller, shut down collaboration like Sheldon Cooper, or complain nonstop like C3PO (yes—even the droids bring drama). In our latest Leaderish podcast episode, Doris and I had way too much fun unpacking five difficult personality archetypes we all encounter—at work, in life, and (gulp) occasionally in the mirror. But here’s the real gem:You’re not...

Hey Reader, The recent Korn Ferry article on the return of stack ranking, popularized by Jack Welch at GE in the 80s, made my ears perk up. While today’s Big Tech firms are attempting to modernize the approach with more data and better analytics, the foundational idea remains controversial: rank employees, reward the top, and fire the bottom. The intention of creating a performance-based culture isn’t wrong. But there’s a more effective and sustainable way to achieve it. Organizations don’t...

Hey Reader, We’ve all been there...surrounded by sticky notes, half-done projects, and that nagging voice in our heads telling us it has to be perfect. In our latest episode of the Leaderish: leadership lessons straight up podcast, we sat down with productivity expert Cindy Sullivan, founder of CB Sullivan Consulting and Organizing, to talk about the two big P-words holding many of us back: perfectionism and procrastination. She’s spent over 20 years helping professionals reclaim their time...

Hey Reader, A month ago, I downloaded the How We Feel app from Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence. I thought it might be interesting. What I didn’t expect was that it would quietly shift the way I show up, especially at work. I’m a fairly grounded person. I work in emotionally charged environments, facilitate important conversations, and coach leaders through difficult decisions. I thought I had a pretty good handle on how I felt throughout the day. Turns out, I was wrong. What I...

Hey Reader, Lately, I’ve been finding myself saying the same thing over and over to leaders I coach: “It’s not how smart you are, it’s how well you handle yourself and others that makes the difference.” In our latest episode of the Leaderish podcast, Doris and I dove into emotional intelligence. We talked about what it is, why it matters, and how to build it. But this wasn’t just a list of definitions or leadership theory—we shared real stories. Including the one where I, a seasoned coach,...

Hey Reader, Remember when someone last asked you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Maybe you were 8, dreaming of outer space, stethoscopes, or center stage. Somewhere along the way, we replaced those dreams with daily task lists which include urgent meetings, never-ending emails, and checking off the boxes that others set for us. About five years ago, I had a big dream: to start my own coaching and consulting business. I didn’t know exactly how to get there, but I knew I needed more...

This week I'm getting personal Reader. I want to talk about something many of us experience but don’t always name: the inner critic. For years, I thought my job title defined my worth. If someone had "Senior" or "VP" in their title, I assumed they were smarter, more capable, more everything than me. Even when I was the one in the leadership seat, a small, persistent voice inside me would whisper things like, You're not good enough, or They're going to figure out you don't belong here. Hello,...