"Tony" was the CEO of a large medical technology company, and "Sarah" led one of the company's research and development units. Sarah had teams exploring a variety of tools for delivering more effective patient care. Personally, she was particularly interested in devices addressing cardiac disease because she had friends and family members with heart problems. Sarah sent Tony a detailed proposal for an innovative device with...

One of my first coaching clients, who I'll call "Jake," was a workaholic lawyer. Jake was ambitious and said he hoped a short series of coaching sessions would help him spot ways to make his thriving law practice even stronger. Because Jake wanted to become more efficient, we spoke at length about how he managed his time. His work style was to put in long hours on billable projects, and avoid "wasting time" on law firm man...

Guide dogs undergo intense obedience training to prepare them to lead visually impaired people around obstacles. But what happens when a blind woman doesn't hear the approach of a quiet electric vehicle and directs her dog to step off the curb? At that moment, the dog must make a life and death decision: does he block the woman from going forward, even if it means disobeying a command? "Intelligent Disobedience" is the term...

When I meet new clients, it's sometimes easy to spot the ones who're enjoying resilient careers. Whether they are solopreneurs creating their own thing, or professionals making their way through large organizations, people with thriving work lives tend to share some of the same characteristics, like a positive attitude and an ability to listen. As I chat further with clients, one factor I try to gauge is whether they consci...

Resilient professionals know when to say “I’m sorry” and when it’s time to stopThe way you routinely speak at work may say more about you than you realize. Some words are particularly powerful and should be handled with care.One of those big impact words is “sorry.” It’s typically defined to include emotions like regret, sadness and penitence, but in practice it can have many shades of meaning. And when we say the phrase “...

In his popular 1936 book, How to Win Friends & Influence People, Dale Carnegie offered advice for becoming popular, persuasive and successful. Among the book's well-known techniques is Principle 2 of his "Six Ways to Make People Like You." That rule is brief: "Smile."Carnegie quoted this Chinese proverb: "a man without a smiling face must not open a shop." Your smile, he said, "is a messenger of your goodwill," and a simple...

Are you looking forward to your first day in a different job? Or maybe you're preparing to welcome a new colleague? My worst first day was 30 years ago, but I still remember it vividly. I was a few years out of law school and shifting to a new firm in the nation's capital. The title on my business card read "partner," instead of "associate," in deference to the clients I was able to bring along with me. Well in advance, I c...

It's normal to want respect from our colleagues. In his classic theory of human motivation, psychologist Abraham Maslow identified the need for esteem as a basic driver of human behavior. And leaders understand how important it can be for team members to feel accepted and valued by the group. At work, the desire to look like a winner can keep us hustling when we secretly want to just throw in the towel. And praise and appre...

Author Kerry Hannon has written two books and countless articles about following your heart to find the work you love. In the last few years Hannon has traveled across the country, interviewing folks who have reinvented their work lives and speaking frequently about how to navigate career transitions.Hannon says that many people love the dream of starting over with a different kind of career. But the truth is that often a b...

Sharon wanted the chance to lead a team. But Jenny, her mentor, warned that some senior colleagues felt she wasn't ready to be a manager. Sharon complained, "If I didn't have to waste so much time sitting in their useless meetings I could really show them what I can do." Jenny countered, "You can't get out of those meetings, so why not make better use of them? That's where people see you in action, so think of those session...