What leadership lessons can we learn from a drag queen? I have been a RuPaul fan for years. It all started after I heard his song, Supermodel. Then I was an admirer of his Viva Glam campaign for MAC cosmetics. I was thankful for RuPaul reminding us to be glamorous during the 90s grunge fashion...
Dana Theus
September 2023 Leadership Development Carnival
It’s time for another installment of the Leadership Development Carnival! Thanks to Weaving Influence and the Lead Change for organizing some great posts from some remarkable leadership writers. Oh, and yes, they were kind enough to include one of mine as well! If you're new to blog...
Damned if you do…. Unpacking Gender Bias in the Workplace
Over a decade ago, when I began writing about women in leadership and gender bias, I was very hopeful. Up to that point I had, what I thought, was a good experience working in mixed gender workplaces. I felt welcome and generally appreciated as a female leader. When I opted off the leadership...
Unlocking the Benefits of Reverse Mentoring
Mentoring is often thought of to help younger employees develop by passing on the wisdom of more experienced leaders. And it is! But that model ignores all the wisdom that many people have to give those of us who sit in leadership positions. And there is a lot that early career employees have to...
INSIGHT: Expectation
One person this week is annoyed at me and the other isn’t, despite on-time delivery to both. The difference? Expectation I set with them. "Set expectations intentionally. That way you always get better results." - Click to Tweet How can two people have such different experiences of the same...
Executive Communications: Start with the Bottom Line
Every single one of my coaching clients face challenges with executive communications in one form or another. The most common contexts in which these issues come up include these two dimensions of personal branding and executive presence: Communicating in an executive fashion to be seen as a...
Decoding Leadership Presence: 3 Steps to Confidence
One of the most important things women can do to accelerate their career is develop authentic confidence. But it’s not always easy. Dana decodes leadership presence for women in this post based on her experience helping women adapt to a male business culture. – InPower Editors Decoding Leadership...
Dress For Success vs. Inner Power: Barbie, Body Image, and Authentic Leadership
The "dress for success" concept has evolved to be about using appearance as a tool for authentic self-expression, not conformity. True power for women stems from inner resources like mindfulness and emotional intelligence, not just external appearance. Authentic leadership cultivates both inner...
3 Myths About a Coaching Leadership Style
The more authority you gain in an organization, the more you realize that your greatest impact results from growing other leaders rather than simply making decisions and doing things yourself. This basic dynamic of leadership isn’t always obvious to those with less authority. When you don’t have...
The secret to entrepreneurial leadership — even if you’re not an entrepreneur
The U.S. has a love affair with entrepreneurship, and it’s no big surprise. Our founding mythology is built on the stories of loners, tribes and rebels. Entrepreneurship is the ultimate definition of modern freedom — accountability only to yourself. No more “workin’ for the man” (or wo-man)....