Over time, I’m extending my comfort zone… and discovering that there’s joy out there beyond one standard deviation! How about you? Can you do more and be more, and have more fun while you’re at it?
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Career Advice
Showing up as yourself when it really counts
My niece called me for advice before her interview at Harvard Business School (HBS) as part of the MBA application process. I remembered the following three experiences and realized that what we were really talking about was being able to show up as yourself when it really counts (i.e., under stress).
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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – Behind the scenes of the Career Mastery Challenge
Have you ever said something out loud without realizing what you were doing? And then the “wrong” person hears you and it’s too late to take it back? Well, that’s how the Career Mastery Challenge happened.
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Introducing The Career Mastery Challenge
Looking back over my 24-year investment banking career, most recently as COO of Morgan Stanley Europe, I’ve come to realize that...
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Leadership: Making Plays vs. Running Plays
A successful basketball coach was telling me about the difference between making plays and running plays, and how the best players do both. Sports teams have set plays – we’ve all heard the term “playbook” – and they practice them. These are about scoring. For the play to work during a game…
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The Problem With Trying
I grew up thinking of trying hard as being “a good thing”. Now, I realize that trying has a substantial dark side, and can be downright negative as a mindset. As a result, I am in favor of ceasing to “try” and starting to “do”. Here’s my thinking.
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Make “Normal” The New Normal
Reading about Gabby Douglas’ gold medal performance in the UT San Diego paper, I was struck by the Olympic team coach’s comment that she was originally seen as a “good average gymnast” and not an obvious pick for being the gold medalist. And that what they didn’t know was how well she would “handle nerves” and…
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Bloom Where You’re Planted
A highly successful CEO recently shared with me his mother’s advice that has stood him in good stead from humble beginnings all...
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Leaders: False and True
A basketball coach recently described one of the girls on her team as a “False Leader”. As it was a new term to me, I asked the...
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Playing To Your Strengths At Work
Do you get to play to your best strengths at work? For two-thirds of us, the answer is “no” (see the last few paragraphs of the...
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Leadership Lessons from Steve Jobs
Beyond the amazing innovations he has brought to our world, there are three lessons I have learned by observing Steve Jobs, the...
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Being Brave: Lessons from Basketball
I have been at the European National Championship Basketball tournament this week, rooting for the Great Britain Under 20s...
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