Work is hard work. How to find purpose in your work is a hard question. Even when you know you are doing important things, showing up to do the hard work can start to feel like a grind. Pointless. Meaningless. Joyless. I don’t want it to be this way. I want every moment of work to be joyful. ...
Dana Theus
FAQ: Career Coach Advice
Though most of my executive coaching centers on leadership, authentic personal branding and thriving in the midst of office politics, I often support people in job search and career transition. When I am giving career coach advice, I often find some themes in the conversation around how to handle...
How to Overcome the Imposter Syndrome: Make it Your Best Friend
Mary finally received her promotion! After years of positioning herself and working on her personal brand she finally achieved her goal and had been put in charge of a product division for a major manufacturer. Predictably, our first executive coaching call in her new role centered on one subject,...
Feedback Coaching: How to Get Results with “Tough Love”
While many feedback coaching tips expound on the benefits of empathy in providing difficult-to-hear messages, there is a limit to empathy’s effectiveness in feedback situations. Don’t misunderstand me, I do believe empathy is a critical element of all feedback sessions. However, one thing I notice...
Executive Presence for Women: What does it even mean?
Discussions about how women can rise to the top have traditionally focused on discriminatory dynamics. And there are many of those dynamics to discuss, but that’s not all there is to it. In addition to navigating unconscious bias, harassment and discrimination, women often succeed by cultivating...
Executive Mindset: Advice for Women Leaders to Navigate the Glass Ceiling
Discussions of the “glass ceiling,” an invisible barrier to the progression of women (and other underrepresented leaders) from management to the executive ranks, has traditionally focused on discriminatory dynamics. But there’s more to the glass ceiling than discrimination. Executives who make it...
Does Everything REALLY Happen for a Reason? A Contemplation on the Passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Does everything really happen for a reason? I’m not so sure. 2020 has been a year like no other in my memory. The earth is giving us so many challenges and then there’s the political and cultural shifts afoot that can truly challenge your beliefs about everything. COVID19 has brought tragedy to...
Pay Equity: Why it’s Critical to Diversity and Inclusion Efforts
Key Takeaways: Equity in Pay Matters: Achieving pay equity is a crucial step in addressing social injustices and biases in the workplace, but it requires confronting discomfort around salary transparency. The Evolution of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I): From diversity initiatives to...
Owning My Place on the Ladder of Privilege, Social Justice and Inequity
One coach’s approach to becoming a better human being I am profoundly uncomfortable. I recently wrote an article for Smartbrief about how to lead in response to the protests roiling our cities. While I stand by what I said, here is what I did not say in that article: I’m really not feeling like...
How to Think About the New Normal and Going Back to Work
July 2021 update: Rereading this with the Delta variant running around and vaccination rates slow around the world, I'm amazed at our optimism almost a year ago. That said, the advice is still solid. - Dana I had a terrific client call today about “the new normal” and how we both hope it’s NEW. It...