Between 1990 and 1995, there was an American television show called Northern Exposure. It was filled with eccentric and lovable characters in the small town of Cicely, Alaska. One of them was a woman named Maggie. In one episode, Maggie stops going to the local laundromat because it is so inconvenient to make those weekly […]
Articles
Carol blogs about her observations and advice on change, leadership, body language in the workplace, and anything else that catches her
attention.
Thriving on Post-Pandemic Change
Change is difficult — and we have plenty of reasons to resist it! No one likes to contemplate letting go of the skills and behaviors that “got us here.” As individuals, we become psychologically attached to the status quo because it is familiar and comfortable. But even more difficult than fighting off the inertia of […]
5 Mistakes People Make Reading Your Body Language
A few years ago, I was giving a presentation to the CEO of a financial services company, outlining a speech on “Leadership Presence” I was scheduled to deliver to his organization the next day. And it wasn’t going well. Our meeting lasted thirty minutes, and through that entire time the CEO sat at the conference […]
How Santa Claus Knows if You’ve Been Naughty or Nice: Deception Detection
Have you ever wondered how Santa Claus determined whether to leave you a present or a lump of coal on Christmas Eve? How he knew if you’ve been naughty or nice? I don’t have any hard evidence to back me up, but I’m pretty sure that he must be a first-class deception detector. And, if […]
The Five C’s of Leadership Presence
Do People See You as the Talented Leader You Truly Are? There’s no doubt that displaying leadership presence will help set you up for that next promotion or give your career an extra boost by making you stand out from your peers. But leadership presence isn’t automatically assigned to you because you have a leadership […]
Hacks For Women To Stand Out On Zoom
When I present seminars on leadership presence, I ask my audiences: “What is the first thing you think of when you hear the term self-promotion?” Men often respond with answers like: “Self-promotion is smart,” and “Staying visible is crucial to success.” Women, however, are less comfortable with the concept: “I don’t want to be one […]
Body Language for Leadership Presence on Zoom
As more interactions move from in-person environments to online events, your ability to project virtual leadership presence is quickly becoming the key to your continued success. Whether you are interviewing for a new job, presenting to the executive team, or facilitating a team meeting, you are the most influential when you express your core values […]
We Need Physical Distance, Not Social Distance
Work from home, don’t meet in person – or if you must get together, keep your social distance! As we increase our efforts to fend off the spread of the COVID-19, we need to watch that we aren’t worsening another threat to public health: loneliness. The “loneliness epidemic” has seen rates double in the United […]
How Leadership Presence Is Different For Women
I have been speaking on the topic of leadership presence for several years, but only lately created a program designed for women – and the question I get most often is, “Why focus on women?” My answer is, as they say in the commercial, “Because we’re worth it!” We’re highly educated. According to the National […]
8 Ways Leaders Build Collaboration
Most leaders agree that effective collaboration is more important than ever in today’s turbulent business environment. In fact, a company’s very survival may depend on how well it can combine the potential of its people and the quality of the information they possess with their ability — and willingness — to share what they know […]
Virtual Presence for Leaders
Being perceived as a leader is the essence of leadership presence. While most of my coaching focuses on helping leaders enhance their presence in face-to-face encounters, I also realize that a different set of skills is required for projecting leadership presence when communicating virtually. Communication mediums run a spectrum from “lean” to “rich.” A lean medium […]
Does Your Body Language Help – or Hurt – Your Leadership Effectiveness?
Effective leadership depends on the ability to inspire, influence, and positively impact people. You already know that. In preparing for an important meeting – with your staff, leadership team, or clients – you concentrate on what to say, memorize crucial points, and rehearse your presentation so that you will come across as credible and convincing. […]
The Body Language of Collaborative Leaders
During a break in my seminar on collaborative leadership, a man from the audience told this story: “My wife is an attorney, and I have always been a supporter of women in the workplace. I also believe in collaboration and try to make everyone feel included and appreciated. So I was totally taken aback when […]
3 Ways Women Can Escape The Imposter Syndrome Trap
Sandra was introduced to me as a highly successful business professional with exceptional leadership skills. She was being groomed for a top executive position, and she sounded perfect for my favorite kind of coaching assignment. I love working with accomplished women who are looking to become even more effective. It should have come as a […]
Reading Body Language at Work: Five Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
Human beings are genetically programmed to look for facial and behavioral cues and to quickly understand their meaning. We see someone gesture and automatically make a judgment about the intention of that gesture. And we’ve been doing this for a long, long time. As a species we knew how to win friends and influence people […]