The Real Power of Influence: Leading Through Clarity, Trust, and Empowerment

It’s 9:00 AM on a typical Monday morning. The office is already buzzing. Susan, the regional director of a fast-growing marketing agency, has back-to-back meetings scheduled, a report due by noon, and three urgent emails marked “high priority” waiting in her inbox. Just as she begins her day, her phone pings. It’s her team lead asking whether they should move forward with a campaign they discussed last week. Five minutes later, another team member pops in asking for approval on a minor budget decision. An hour into her day, Susan hasn’t tackled any of her high-priority work.

Plan Your Way to a Great 2025

The new year brings a new wave of optimism that this time, things will be different. While resolutions often take center stage, they are frequently abandoned within weeks. The key to turning aspirations into reality is planning—and using a planner can make all the difference. Here's why planning is so beneficial and how starting your year with a planner can set you up for success.

Lead from values

The fifth and final component of this step is to be sure to lead from values. Values are the core components of a person’s deepest beliefs, the concepts that they hold most dear and that drive decision making, or at least should. When a leader takes the time to identify her deepest values, she is likelier to make satisfying choices and remain consistent in her actions and choices. Moreover, if she is effective in articulating her values then others will understand her reasoning and be more inclined to support her process.

4 Dangers of Digital Communication and 8 Tips to Avoid Them

It’s no surprise that we use email and text for so many of our communications. It’s often faster, it’s neater, and it can easily be saved for future reference without paper sifting and clutter. Digital communication allows us to send and reply at our own convenience. And you can communicate with several people at one time,

But there are also some serious dangers that, unless managed properly, will turn these advantages into a huge disadvantage.

Communicate Clearly and Openly – Part IV of An E.P.I.C. Solution to Undertstaffing

All leaders need to communicate clearly and openly. But strong communication is particularly important for those who lead understaffed teams. And great communication starts with great listening. In your conversations, focus mainly on listening rather than speaking. This will open up the communication lines and deepen trust.

You may think that you are communicating well. I did, too. But the only way to know for sure is to ask. Start with this simple question: Overall, how would you rate my/our internal communication?

Pull Your Team Together - Part II of An E.P.I.C. Solution to Undertstaffing

You’ve seen it many times. The bickering. The lack of healthy communication. Folks sitting quietly at their desks, hoping to stay under the radar and not be burdened with more work, let alone someone else’s work. Other folks prioritizing their wants and needs over those of the team.

Territorialism. Silos.

Using Clarity to Combat Understaffing - Part I of An E.P.I.C. Solution

One strategy is to get super clear on tasks and responsibilities. These are formalized employee performance objectives that are clear, measurable, and mutually understood.

Effective teams need to know what’s being asked of them and how to prioritize their efforts. Leaders need to get them focused on what really matters most and will have the greatest positive impact on the company, such as actions that are most aligned with strategic objectives and most satisfy stakeholders.

You say it, but do they understand it?

Yesterday, as I was getting my skis 🎿 on, an instructor tells me "TGIF!"

But he didn't mean THAT #tgif.

He was telling me, "Toes Go In First." 💡

But that wasn't what I heard.

And for a Sunday, his #fridaytalk sounded strange.

Coaching: The Key to Getting Unstuck

One of the local papers runs my coaching content weekly.

They use this caption for my "Coach's Corner" column.

I hadn't seen it before. And I love it.

Unlike other interventions, coaching is all about taking the ideas and magic already in a client's head and helping them unravel, organize and make sense of it, while setting aside the things that have been holding them back.

Standard client comments: "I know I need to ___ (take action) but can't because ___ (limiting belief.)"

Coaching empowers people to move forward and get things done.

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