Rachel Cooke is a leadership and workplace expert who holds her M.A. in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. Founder of Lead Above Noise, she has been named a top 100 Leadership Speaker by Inc. Magazine and has been featured in Fast Company, The Huffington Post, and many more.
Something went wrong at work and fingers are pointing at you. You know it wasn’t your fault. Do you stand up and defend yourself at the risk of being labeled “defensive?” The answer is yes. And today I’ll be talking about what distinguishes defending from defensive, and how to stand up for yourself when the moment commands it. What’s the difference between defending yourself and being defensive? The line between defending yourself and being defensive can be blurry. Three core characteristics distinguish being defensive from defending. 1.Reaction versus response When an accusation is made against you, your body’s fight-or-flight stress…
Over the years I’ve had bosses who inspired me, pushed me, challenged me, scared me, bored me, made me laugh, and made me cry. Now I’m my own boss and frankly, the jury’s still out. Bosses come in all shapes, styles, and fashions. And some are just better than others. I recently received a question from a listener named Lisa who’s struggling with an overly critical boss. She said: [My boss feels the need to] ‘take the whip to the horses’ so we can get things done. That might work for some people … but it does not work for…
Dorie Clark has become the go-to expert on personal branding and reinvention. She believes we all have something unique and exceptional to bring to the table. Dorie is the author of Reinventing You and Stand Out. She offers insight and tactics on how to define what your special something is, and how to put it to work for you. Listen to our inspiring conversation by clicking the audio player or the link to your favorite podcast platform above. Here are the key bits of advice I took away from our conversation. Stand out with your unique story Being successful means…
Many people use LinkedIn as nothing more than an online Rolodex, a means of finding a job, or a quick daily glance through professional updates and eye-roll-inducing humblebrags. But when you look for the tips and tricks hidden away in its many nooks and corners, you can do some pretty amazing things on LinkedIn’s virtual platform. With so much uncertainty persisting today, we’re all looking for ways to go above and beyond just getting our projects done on time. It’s more important than ever to really shine at work. Today we’ll talk about some strategies you can use on LinkedIn—all…
You polished your resume, pounded the pavement, and landed the coveted job interview. Congratulations! Now it’s time to prepare and rehearse. You can never anticipate exactly what an interviewer will ask. But the window just before a job interview presents you with an opportunity to reflect on your career to date—your highs and your lows. An honest reflection will leave you with a handful of stories and examples in your back pocket that can lend themselves as answers to commonly asked questions. Likely (hopefully), you’ll get a few softball questions. The interviewer may want to know how you chose the…
Five years ago I started my own consulting business—cue the terror, stress, exhaustion, and overwhelm. I wanted to succeed and I was willing to work for it. But professional success at the expense of my family or health wasn’t worth it. I struggled initially to juggle, and sometimes even see, all the balls in the air. I spent a lot of time feeling like I was failing at something, be it working, mothering, friending, or exercising. I tried all of the productivity and organizing apps, but nothing changed the game for me. And then one day—be still my analog-loving-heart!—I discovered…
Today’s episode is a conversation with Jeff Sanders, host of The 5 AM Miracle Podcast and author of the The Free-Time Formula: Finding Happiness, Focus, and Productivity No Matter How Busy You Are. Jeff and I discuss some simple strategies he has used to define and commit to the habits that have delivered amazing results for him. Jeff’s success story begins with simply waking up at 5 a.m. one day to run. With no specific goal or intention, he decided to give it a try. Fast forward to today, and he hosts a podcast, has authored books, and runs a…
We don’t typically talk about setting goals in May. But there’s nothing typical about this May. Many of you have set goals in January as part of your company’s performance management process or in your own personal goal-setting process. But as the pandemic persists and realities and priorities continue to change, many of you are questioning whether those business or personal goals still make sense. Maybe you have formal goals in writing, or maybe you just have some aspirational musings in your head. Whatever form they take, it’s likely you kicked off the year with an intent to achieve something…
At a time when days blend together and uncertainty pervades, there’s so much that lives outside of our control. So for today, let’s focus on something we can control, at least to some extent—our mindset and, in turn, our personal productivity. What is a mindset? According to an article by Gary Klein, Ph.D., for Psychology Today: A mindset is a belief that orients the way we handle situations … our reactions and tendencies. They let us frame situations: they direct our attention to the most important cues so that we’re not overwhelmed with information. In other words, your mindset impacts how you…
As we continue to persist in this new version of normal, it’s likely many of us will experience a sense of isolation and disconnection. Practicing social distancing and working remotely can make the idea of relationships—human connection—feel like a thing of the past. But as we all continue to move through this historic and anxiety-provoking moment, connection and relationships matter more than ever. Though in-person lunches, coffees, conferences and happy hours may be off the current list of options, there are still many ways in which we can and should create and nurture relationships right now. Put yourself out there…