Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the cure for the Toxic Boss. But of course, it’s not quite that easy. S/he’s a boss, after all! Sadly, this cure does not come in the form of pill, either. Toxic bosses are a disease in the workplace and corporate culture more broadly. Like most diseases toxicity has...
Welcome to “Dear Dana”, our Friday column to give you workplace advice and coaching. Please write in and tell me about a frustration you’re facing at the office and I’ll publish my answer in an upcoming column. I can’t wait to hear from you! In this week's post we'll look at workplace bullying and...
One of the cool things about modern discussions of leadership is that we now recognize that “leadership” is available to everyone, at every level of every kind of organization – or no organization at all. Anyone can lead and can even start a movement, simply by influencing the person next to them...
I've got a client (we'll call her Jenny) who's got some real people problems. She believes her boss is threatened by her and most of her direct reports want her job. Based on what she's told me, she has reason to believe that these people would all love to see her fail. But Jenny had another...
If you pay attention to your language it will provide you insight and power over your subconscious – “natural” – InPower stance. As you practice obtaining and maintaining InPower balance, your language – internal and external – will begin to shift and change, becoming a source of your power. But first you must learn to “hear” yourself from an InPower perspective and listen for your InPower and out-of-power voice. In another post we’ll talk about what you are saying, but for now, just learn to listen to how you are saying it. When you speak – to yourself or to others – your choice of words can quickly tap you into your current power stance. Here are some examples.
Language is important indicator of everyone’s InPower stance, but it may be especially important for women, based on a new study by Judith Baxter.
Sometimes when we begin to refine our understanding of power, and consciously work to bring more of our own power to the fore in our lives, it creates discomfort with – or for – those close to us, including colleagues, employees, friends and even spouses and children. If others have become used to you giving your power away, when you take it back this can surprise them, and sometimes even threaten them. This can be true when you are granted external power as well, and those around you are not used to the new level of responsibility you now shoulder. As I launch into the Take Back Your Power series of blog posts I think it’s important to acknowledge this dynamic and prepare for how to handle these situations.
With the number of devices, apps and websites we use to communicate with each other—in life and in the office—it seems easier than ever to screw up even the most innocuous message. This tech-infused reality seems to go hand-in-hand with complaints about the tech savvy, particularly the millennial...
Effective listening skills are some of the most important aspects of communication. Sadly, it’s an aspect that we spend little time learning. I gave a presentation this past summer about how to be an effective virtual team member. The first issue I identified for success was effective...
As we approach summer, I'm reminded of the family road trip. The kind with screaming kids, barking dogs and parents hoping they don't harm one of those screaming kids. The family road trip seems an apt analogy to end this month's theme of preserving your mental health with emotional...
When I was a kid I loved action movies and magic. I sprained my ankle jumping off a roof as a member of the Three Musketeers (not sure which one since we all thought we were D'Artagnan.) I read comic books and even wrote a fantastical story of star voyagers to mars. I had an imagination run wild....
