[Watch!] My Big Ideas Welcome Interview with Jalynn Baker

In this wide ranging interview with Jalynn Baker from the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, I discuss my background, my pivot from corporate to coaching, and most importantly my big WHY! Check out the other interviews HERE. Below are the timestamps for the questions I answered. Time Questions   0:28 Why did you shift away from theContinue reading “[Watch!] My Big Ideas Welcome Interview with Jalynn Baker”

3 Keys to Giving Effective Feedback

Research shows that feedback is important to employee engagement and retention.  65% of employees desire more feedback. 80% of employees want feedback at the moment rather than delivering aggregated feedback for an annual or bi-annual review. Follow these guidelines for giving effective feedback. Be Specific and Objective Avoid making generalized observations about something. They don’tContinue reading “3 Keys to Giving Effective Feedback”

How Technical Experts Can Display More Empathy

Technical experts transitioning to leadership often struggle with the emotional side of the job. You’ve gone from being required to justify all of your decisions with logic, to now being asked to use high amounts of emotional intelligence to care for your team. One place that you can get stuck is where to start withContinue reading “How Technical Experts Can Display More Empathy”

Why Smart Leaders Create a Well-Defined Sandbox

“My scientists and engineers aren’t innovative enough. They don’t go after high-risk, high-reward opportunities.” –constant complaints from senior management. “Senior management doesn’t want innovation. They have a track record of punishing people who take risks and fail”.–constant complaints from scientists and engineers. How do you resolve this conflict? 🎯Smart leaders unleash the creativity of theirContinue reading “Why Smart Leaders Create a Well-Defined Sandbox”

5 Annoying Things Leaders Must Stop Doing

🛑Here are a few persistent negative behaviors that leaders need to stop doing right now: 1️⃣ They check their phone instead of listening. Avoiding distractions and asking follow up questions lets us know you value our efforts. 2️⃣They are late to their own meetings. Being punctual sends us a signal that you value our time.Continue reading “5 Annoying Things Leaders Must Stop Doing”

The #1 Thing New Leaders Must Change Immediately

I can always tell the difference between experienced and new leaders.   Do you want to know how I can tell?  One slacks off a lot. On purpose. Experienced leaders understand this concept: 🌟“Do A work for A priority objectives, but do B work for B priority items.” Robert Pozen, Senior lecturer at MIT Let meContinue reading “The #1 Thing New Leaders Must Change Immediately”

Do You Know The One Time it Doesn’t Matter if You Lead with Empathy?

When you’re not a leader any more. Because you’ve been fired for not getting results. ⭐LET ME BE CLEAR: I am NOT making the case that caring about business results is more important than caring about people. ⭐I AM making the case that you have to care about BOTH. Maybe everyone already knows this. ButContinue reading “Do You Know The One Time it Doesn’t Matter if You Lead with Empathy?”

Incorrect Stereotypes About Highly Technical People [A RANT!]

Executives, stop using stereotypes about scientists and engineers to develop your technical talent strategy! ❌We only care about working on cool projects. ❌We don’t care about the business aspects of our work. ❌We don’t care about recognition. ❌We don’t want to manage people. Nope. ✔We want to know that our work contributes to the business.Continue reading “Incorrect Stereotypes About Highly Technical People [A RANT!]”