Dive into your unknown strengths through taking periodic risks in your life. — At the heart of personal growth lies the willingness to take risks. While it’s natural to seek comfort and security, embracing calculated risks—within reasonable bounds and with a healthy approach—can offer several mental health benefits and a more fulfilling life. Being an effective leader requires a number of personal strengths…

You can still make a great referral, even if you have little to no status or influence. It’s all in the delivery. — Giving a referral, whether for a job, a service, or a personal recommendation, is a valuable way to help someone in your network. It reflects positively on you and can strengthen your professional and personal relationships. Over the years, I would say that I’ve given over a hundred referrals, and…

Both sides of the table, 1:1, multiples, and panel interviews. And that one time I got interviewed by a dog. — Over the years, I have participated in more than 500 interviews. As a candidate, as a peer, as a hiring manager, as a moderator on panels and even that one time where I interviewed twice in one day because they mixed us up. …

What if I told you that it leads higher satisfaction and lower attrition? — Let’s first define what ‘voices’ mean on a team. Having diverse voices on a team means that the team is composed of individuals with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and characteristics. These differences can include but are not limited to demographic, cultural, educational, professional, cognitive, experience, and language…

Brace yourself for woo-woo and really out there ideas that work! — Burnout is an all-too-common challenge that leaders face. It can manifest as emotional exhaustion, reduced effectiveness, a sense of disillusionment, detachment and more. While traditional strategies for burnout recovery like coaching, therapy, self-care and time management are invaluable, there are also some unconventional methods that leaders can explore to reignite…

Learn why and how to develop emergency recovery plans for your systems, processes and workflows. — My first exposure to a mishap plan was when I was in the U.S. Navy. They had them posted at key points of entry, or near complex systems for people to follow in the event of an emergency. …

It happens. And if it is not happening, you might not be leading effectively. — Leadership is a multifaceted concept that often conjures images of individuals confidently charting the course for their teams, inspiring them to reach new heights. While this traditional view of leadership holds true in many scenarios, there are instances where leadership takes on a different form. …

And rightly so! How I learned to visualize and embrace this planning concept. — Years ago, I felt I was struggling to get one of my direct reports (an individual contributor) to think in a bigger way that allowed us to build a large-scale design system. My boss, at the time, told me “an IC is only looking out for Friday.” That really hit…

Tools and apps can help, but without the proper mindset, they fall short. — When I first became a manager, I found myself adopting tool after tool, app after app, methodologies and point systems, and still coming up short with managing my team. I would read a dozen articles that touted a dozen new methods of managing time or work that would improve planning…