Most Recent Posts
Women Getting to the Top: Change Culture vs Change Behavior
Key Takeaways: Cultural shift requires both top-down and bottom-up momentum: True change happens when organizations address bias at the systemic level and when ambitious women step up as visible examples of leadership. One mid-level manager can’t do it alone, but many...
The #1 Rule for Effective Leadership (at Home and at Work)
Key Takeaways: Effective leadership begins with self-regulation: Catch yourself in the act before your inner jerk takes the wheel. Effective leadership isn’t about always being right—it’s about leading with emotional intelligence, humility, and grace under pressure....
3 Ways Powerful Leaders Can Practice the Art of Saying No
Make your YES mean more by saying NO more often. Saying “No” is hard because we don’t just say the word, we burden it with other – unsaid – baggage on both the sayer’s and receiver’s part. But it doesn’t have to be that way and powerful leaders know how to use the Art of No in ways that leave the listener feeling useful, appreciated and inspired. Learn to practice the Art of No. Your team will thank you for it.
5 Leadership Lessons From The Worst Bosses I’ve Ever Had
Key Takeaways: Learn from the Bad to Lead Better: Some of the most powerful leadership lessons come from watching what not to do. Pay attention to how poor leadership feels—then commit to doing the opposite with intention and integrity. Respect Your People: Employees...
Dear Dana Workplace Advice: What do you mean I’m not a good listener?
Key Takeaways: Different Boss, Different Lens: Soft skills like listening are tough to measure, and what one boss sees as strength, another might view as a growth area. That doesn’t mean anyone was lying—it just means expectations and perceptions vary. Promotions...
How to Avoid Death-by-Meeting: What’s Our Intention?
The bigger the organization you work in, the greater the likelihood that you’ll meet your demise in death-by-meeting. What a horrible way to go! And the worst part? All that pain and suffering – and it’s usually a crap shoot as to whether you’ll get through all the items on the agenda.
No. Actually, the worst part is when you end up running those meetings yourself!
Agendas are often useful for thinking through what you want to cover. But – having an agenda does not mean having a meeting worth everyone’s time to attend. How to avoid death-by-meeting when you’re in charge? Agenda or not, take the time to think through your intended outcome for the meeting.
Popular Posts
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Leadership
Why Women in Leadership Must Change Our Narrative
Note: While this was written in 2013, it is still relevant today so we've republished it "for the record." With a virtual thud for women in leadership everywhere, the Catalyst 2012 Census of Fortune 500 companies hit my e-mailbox: NEW YORK (December 11, 2012)—Despite...
Reframing How to Delegate
Delegation is often seen as a low-level management and productivity skill when in fact it’s also a higher management and leadership skill. How to Delegate is something even senior execs should know in order to help develop the people working for them. – InPower...
Leadership Tips: Don’t (S)mother Your Staff
Welcome to our newest blogger, Mary Brodie! Mary's day job is at HP but she has a lot more going on than that! We love her leadership tips and "insights from the trenches" of leadership and hope you do too! Welcome Mary below. - InPower Editors I'm often told that I...
Women in Leadership
Activating The Woman Effect
First written and posted in 2012, I still stand by this philosophy, and am updating it in 2024. Stay tuned! This last year blogging here on Reclaiming Leadership has been fun and fascinating. Along the way I found myself speaking to and with wonderful, powerful women....
Does Women’s Emotional Intelligence Help Us Get Into Leadership?
Is women's emotional intelligence (EQ) likely to help you or hurt you when you're on the leadership track? How well do you handle your emotions at work? Too many women and men read that question as a damnation of women who can’t control their emotions in the office....
3 Ways to Give Yourself Permission to Succeed
Many times the voice in our head holds us back. So it is quite often the voice in our head that needs to give us permission to move forward. Whether you're an entrepreneur or not, Elizabeth's advice will give you permission to do this more often! - InPower Editors...
Mentoring
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Career Advice
Selfishness or Self-sacrifice: Is That Our Only Choice?
Ever feel stuck between self-sacrifice and being a selfish b&%ch in the office? Too many women know what this no-win situation feels like. We really like how Leslie reframes this choice around "self-fullness." Don't get stuck, choose selfully! - InPower Editors...
Building Your Social, Personal Brand
Please welcome special guest blogger, Heidi Lorenzen, President of Marketing Moksha, who’s turning her extreme marketing knowledge to helping us think about how to use social media to shape your personal brand. “Social business” is a buzz-phrase increasingly used...
Who am I? A Fresh Approach to Personal Brand Identity
Want to go places in your career? A lot of people will give you advice about your personal brand identity when you tell them you’re looking for new opportunities. In our socially visible culture, personal branding is that elusive skill that requires us to present...
Interviews
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Diversity & Inclusion
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:...
3 Ways a Male Executive Can Help Create a Less Biased Corporate Culture
Dear Dana, I’ve recently been promoted to an executive position in my company and I read your article about how senior women can help change corporate culture regarding gender and sexual discrimination and harassment. In my new position, I now see things that are...
Women’s Empowerment Update: Progress in International Development
When Dana first announced The Woman Effect, which recognizes that gender balanced groups produce better results than gender-dominant groups, we noted that this philosophy was informing efforts to improve conditions for even the poorest countries. That was 5 years ago!...




















