The metaphor of running on empty conveyed meaning long before Jackson Browne made the words iconic with the title track to his 1977 album. The song reminds us that too often we can be running blind, going through the motions instead of living a life of purpose. Many people are searching for purpose in their…
Out of Balance? Five Actions to Improve Work-Life Balance
People want balance in their lives, but often life is more like a teeter-totter. Remember the old-school teeter-totter? Two playmates, sitting on opposite ends of a narrow board and holding onto handles, taking turns bouncing off the ground with their feet. When the playmates balanced the board to accommodate their differences in size, the…
Role-Play Can Help in Giving Tough Feedback
Executive coaches deal with diverse subjects, and also encounter some recurring themes. One common theme is giving tough feedback to staff members who are not performing as well as the client believes they can. While giving and receiving positive feedback is easy, delivering and accepting tough feedback is difficult. So difficult, it seems, avoidance is…
What’s on your Bumper Sticker?
No, this is not about bumper stickers you see on cars signaling anything from political philosophy to how smart one’s kid is. But, like so many bumper stickers, it is about raising awareness. In this case, it’s about a useful coaching technique that helps individuals gain self-awareness through an exercise in which they develop visual…