At the end of the last Lewes Leadership Lunch, a young manager came up to me and asked: “How do I get older employees to listen to me?” She went on to explain: “The people my age listen to me. They do what I tell them to do. But the older employees respond...
Grief isn’t always about losing someone who’s gone—it can be about losing what you hoped for. I call this “undefined grief.” It’s the pain of letting go—not of what was, but of what could have been. Right now, many of us are living with this kind of grief. It’s the...
A couple of weeks ago, I had an experience that surprised me with just how much it revealed—not just about myself, but about leadership. I went for an open water swim, something I usually enjoy. I was wearing my second skin—a suit designed to protect the body from...
What happened when I stopped pretending to listen—and what it taught me about being present. Last night, my friend Maya was talking to me about a difficult conversation she needs to have with someone on her team. It’s one of those situations where emotions,...
I recently spoke in a group where people come together to share their personal journeys. That morning, I found myself opening up about the chronic body pain I’ve been navigating for several years now. It’s the kind of pain that doesn’t just hurt physically—it limits,...
I don’t think most leaders realize how quickly obligation distorts presence. It took a $70 networking ticket for me to see it happen in real time—in myself. A colleague invited me to an event. At the time, I didn’t realize he had personally paid the guest fee. Before...
