Sometimes, a few simple practices are all it takes to produce profound change.

We had a conversation last week with someone who feels like she’s wasting time in her career. She made a move, taking a job that she thought was going to be the right role for her. Unfortunately, it’s not. It’s below her skill level and her capabilities. As a result, she’s feeling bored and discouraged – like she’s missing out on the prime of her career.

In light of the Thanksgiving holiday, here are some of the things I’m feeling grateful for:

Anxiety-driven self-doubt holds so many people back. So many thoughtful, wonderful, smart people. It’s heartbreaking. And the worst part of all is that it’s completely preventable.

Those crazy penguins in Pixar’s Madagascar can teach you a thing or two about leadership. Here’s one of their best lessons.

We often assume that the people who need to have critical information already do. However, information doesn’t necessarily flow through an organization to the person who needs to know it.

To be an effective leader, and to get ahead in your career, one of the key skills you can build is learning how to channel your anger, frustration, and overwhelm into a productive output.

If you’re a manager, your job is one of endless tradeoffs.

Someone said to me recently, “You can’t learn to run from a book.” That really got me thinking.

There’s no rule that says you have to keep moving up in order to consider your career a success. There’s a lot to be said for the pride of a job well done. But if you’re capable of more, there’s a real financial cost to stalling out in your career.

We talk with people every day who are feeling stuck in their careers. They’re disappointed because something isn’t working the way they wanted it to. Maybe they feel they’ve been waiting too long for their next promotion. Or they have a boss who doesn’t support them. Or they have challenging relationships with their colleagues. Or there’s some kind of tension on their teams that’s uncomfortable. Whatever the reason, they’re feeling unhappy – or just “meh” – in their current jobs.

I sprained my knee about a month ago. As far as I can recall, this is the first major injury I’ve sustained in my life (luckily!). It’s been a real learning experience figuring out how to ask for – and accept – help.
My first session with the physical therapist was a great reminder about the value of working with a professional.