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
5 Steps to Taming Your Emotional Triggers
We welcome Dr. Marcia Reynolds back to the site to provide insight into ways of understanding and releasing your emotional triggers. Learn about Marcia's book, The Discomfort Zone and how to turn discomfort into a leadership asset. – InPower Editors How to Tame...
7 Ways to Survive A Bully Boss
There’s an old stereotype about female bosses, which is that they can be really mean, and for some reason women are often the ones to perpetuate this story about female leaders. Personally, I don’t think this is particularly more common – or more important – to think...
Career Advice: Examples of Team Accomplishments When Applying for a Job
Welcome to “Dear Dana”, a column to give you career and workplace advice/coaching from executive coach, Dana Theus Dear Dana, I am updating my resume to apply for jobs. I read your article about "speaking accomplishments." I liked your advice and will apply it to how...
Leadership
October 2024 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. If you're new to blog Carnivals, these represent a collection of...
Feedback Coaching: How to Get Results with “Tough Love”
Key Takeaways: Balance empathy with clarity: While empathy is crucial, over-empathizing can prevent leaders from delivering clear feedback. Leaders need to ensure their feedback is understood without being overly soft or accommodating. Effective leaders use a spectrum...
Book review: Leading Women – 20 Influential Women Share Their Secrets to Leadership, Business and Life by Nancy D. O’Reilly
Key Takeaways: Leading women are everywhere—from boardrooms to classrooms to community centers. You don’t need a title to lead; action and influence are more powerful than any job description. Power begins with perception. When women learn to communicate with...
Mentoring
How to Ask Someone to Be Your Mentor: A Step-by-Step Guide
Key Takeaways: Organic Mentoring: Formal requests aren't always necessary; consistent seeking of advice can naturally cultivate mentoring relationships over time. Clarify Your Goals: Understand your career objectives and challenges before seeking mentorship to...
Questions to Ask a Mentor
Mentors are a true career asset, whether they are “officially” part of a formal mentoring relationship (often matched through a mentoring program) or unofficially informal relationships that grow organically. Regardless of how you enter a mentoring...
What are Long-Term Goals for Your Career and Why You Should Set Them
If you’re focused on achieving your highest potential, you need to set long-term goals for your career. In any situation, goal-setting gives you clarity and direction, which helps you stay focused. In career planning and strategy, however, goals are the critical piece...
Interviews
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Career Advice
What’s Your Dream Job and How Can Knowing it Light Up Your Soul?
Let’s face it: work is work. Even the best dream job turns into a daily grind eventually. And what if you’re in a job search? Looking for a job is work, too! What can make work less work? Hint: know the answer to the question “What’s your dream job?” Wait....
The Cost of Analysis Paralysis
Most of the time when I tell people that I am researching women and business, the conversation wanders into what I now think of as “the analysis paralysis” conundrum in which we try to suss out the why’s of women’s place in society. Here are common themes that come...
Soap vs. You: A Leader’s Guide to Branding
Back in the old days, companies did branding and people did leading. Not so today. Now-a-days if you want to get into, or stay in, leadership and other positions of influence you must have personal branding. In our overwhelmed world, brands – both personal and...
Women in Leadership
Why Are Women Burning Out If We Aren’t Working Over 50+ Hours A Week?
Key Takeaways: Burning out isn’t a personal failing—it’s a cultural problem. We’ve been conditioned to see exhaustion as either a weakness or a badge of honor, when in reality it’s a red flag waving at a toxic, unsustainable system. The “I’m so busy” mantra isn’t...
Do You Confuse Emotions with Emotional Intelligence (EQ?)
Key Takeaways: Emotional intelligence isn’t about suppressing feelings—it’s about understanding them. EQ isn’t the absence of emotion; it’s the skill of recognizing emotions (yours and others’) and responding to them in a way that’s constructive, not reactive. Strong...
4 Reasons The Western Woman Can Save The World
The Dali Lama said “The Western Woman will come to the rescue of the world.” Never mind that Hilary Clinton didn’t get elected president of the United States. The trend she is a part of is well underway, and I’m not talking about feminism.
Just because no one I know got raptured last weekend doesn’t mean the apocalypse isn’t upon us; it just means we get to change the world before everything goes to hell. The world is in a pretty nasty state, based on the daily headlines, and it’s easy to feel powerless to save it. Yet I know so many people determined to do just that, many of them women. What I’d like to see is more people – men and women – stepping into their world-saving powers, more consciously, more assertively and more effectively.
Note to Men: Don’t stop reading now (if you got this far – kudos to you!) The stuff we ladies are naturally good at – and that the world needs – you are pretty good at too. Mostly you just need to ALLOW yourself to be good at it!
Diversity & Inclusion
A Guide to Allyship: The Authenticity Paradox and How to Help Women in the Workplace Move Past It
Key Takeaways: Key Actions for a Guide to Allyship: Men and women can support women in leadership by assuming competence, mentoring and sponsoring them, calling out bias, and fostering visibility. Allies should also work to educate themselves about the unique...
Breaking the Mold: Thriving as Women in the Workplace Built for Men
Key Takeaways The workplace needs to evolve to support women: Traditional workplace structures, designed with men in mind, often fail to accommodate the needs of women in the workplace, hindering their advancement. Women bring unique strengths to leadership: Qualities...
Which Double Standard for Women Applies To You? All of Them?
Double standard for women in leadership is an age-old problem, but it turns out that it's not just a problem for leaders; it's a problem for all women in the workplace. Key Takeaways: Numerous Double Standards: The article highlights the plethora of double standards...
