Blog – Connect 2 Potential

Is This Killing Team Creativity? — The Hush Around Conflict

Earlier this year, the hottest debate on LinkedIn was centered around something extremely trivial: the em dash. If you post on LinkedIn, you probably saw some of the heated comments between the “em dashes are indicators of AI” and “I used em dashes long before AI” crowds. We might dismiss this argument as silly internet drama, but I think there’s a much bigger lesson to learn here. Humans are brilliant, empathetic, and inventive. But we […]

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One-on-one Took a Negative Turn? — 5 Tips to Salvage the Meeting

With so much uncertainty in the world right now turning up the heat and pressure, employees are having a tough time. So if you’ve noticed your teammates being stressed or disengaged—now more than ever is a time for patience and understanding! As leaders, we face the same challenges that our teammates do. But we also have the responsibility to try to make connections and understand their struggles—and one of the best ways to do that is

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30 Second Rule – A Networking Plan That Works

You’re at an event. You see an industry leader that you really want to connect with. You have a few seconds to catch their attention. What do you do??? Last week I shared my 3-step planning framework for a successful networking event. (If you missed it, click here to catch up) My previous email addressed how to start your outreach before you get to an event. But what happens when you’re actually there, trying to

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Get My 3-step Networking Framework for Events – More Conversations, More Connections

You probably have at least one business event on your calendar right now. Have you thought about… ➡️ Who you want to meet? ➡️ How you will reach out to them? ➡️ What you will say when you see them? If you don’t have answers to these questions, you need to start thinking about them now! Late winter/early spring is always the time of year when I revisit my networking skills and strategies. Although it

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Learning to Lead Through Connection… Not Just Authority

“Why won’t they just do their jobs?” I think we’ve all had a frustrated moment like this at some point! When my client Rob* asked me this question, he was reaching the end of his patience. Rob was a highly analytical, black-and-white thinker. When given a job, he simply did it, earning him recognition as a high-performer. So when he transitioned into a leadership position, he couldn’t understand why his team didn’t operate in the

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Our Brains Love an Easy Button – But It’s Making Your Work Harder

“What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.” Those famous words came from President Dwight Eisenhower, who used a simple grid to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. Today that grid is called the Eisenhower Box, or Eisenhower Matrix. Eisenhower’s urgency-importance framework is just as applicable as it was decades ago. Because, even though we now have an endless well of technology at our fingertips, we still struggle with

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We All Use the Same Excuse

Isn’t it weird how we all know the basics of self-care—but we still have so much resistance to it? I remember working with my client Beth* to build better self-care habits into her lifestyle. We started with just two changes: ➡️ A “no excuses” 10-minute workout 3x a week. ➡️ Healthier meal-planning. Even though these were small changes, her resistance still popped up right away. “I don’t have time for all this!” she protested. Isn’t

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Why Doesn’t Your Team Care? – Connecting Purpose to the Personal

Sometimes teams go through periods of exhaustion. They’re just showing up, checking off boxes, and going home. As a leader, there are few things more disheartening. I’ve had several people tell me, “No one seems to care as much as I do!” Some days it feels as if you’re trying to carry your whole team forward by yourself. But what if you’re missing a crucial element? It’s not that your team doesn’t care. They just

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The Real Reason You’re Too Busy

I have a simple question for you: “Who else on your team can take on the project you’re consumed by right now?” Stop and think about it for a moment. Do you have an answer? A while back, when I asked my client Grace* this question, she looked at me like I’d sprouted an extra head! That’s when she realized how stuck she was. Grace had been asked to work on a strategic plan that

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The #1 Gamechanger for Growing as a Leader

In leadership roles, we’re used to starting Q1 with the heat turned up. Always busy, always behind, and always battling a long to-do list 😬 When under pressure, we naturally feel the need to work harder and faster. Especially as leaders with a whole team counting on us! But if that’s your mindset, you’re in danger of falling into the same trap I did: ➡️ You’re productive but you’re not actually making progress. ➡️ You’re

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Five Ways to Help Newer Managers Thrive

The transition from individual contributor to manager is often the toughest in a person’s career path. Newer managers find themselves needing a whole new set of skills that may be unrelated to the work they excelled at in their previous roles. At the same time, they may lack the confidence to ask for help or admit that they are struggling. Based on what I’ve learned from my clients and from my own leadership journey, I

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Discover the Gifts of 2020

As 2020 draws to a close, I’ve been thinking about what I can say to you all at this time that will be helpful. What will be in support of you all finding peace with 2020 and setting your sights on better days (and outcomes) ahead in 2021? I’ve drafted and abandoned several blog posts, and finally arrived at this simple approach, which is based in the work I’ve done this year. If we can

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It’s All a Bunch of Lies!

Your saboteurs are the voices in your head that hold you back from reaching your full potential. They are the creators of your negative emotions, including anger, frustration, guilt, and blame, and they aim to keep you swirling in a negative mindset. They take up space in your brain without paying rent. They’ve been with you so long, that you may believe all the harmful things they say. Please know that you’re not alone. Every

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Burn It!

I think I can safely say that 2020 has not worked out as any of us predicted it would. We started the year with a massive vision. It was a “2020 Vision”- how perfect! Unfortunately, we all now know the deep pain and loss that this year has delivered to our doors. As we slide into August, with even more uncertainty on the horizon, I want to offer a cleansing ritual of sorts. I encourage you

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Zoom Hacks Training Sessions

Are you new to Zoom and trying to figure it all out? Maybe you’ve been on Zoom for a while, but you’re not using the platform to its full potential. If so, I can help! I’ve been working in Zoom one-on-one and in groups nearly every day for the past two years. Along the way, I’ve learned how to make the Zoom experience more effective, engaging and comfortable for all involved. Many of you are

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2020 Vision

The end of one year and the start of the next is always a great opportunity to pause and notice where we’ve been and where we’re going. As we head into 2020, we have the chance to usher in a new year and a new decade. 2020 represents symmetry and balance. It holds layers of meaning if we let it. No matter the condition of your actual eyesight, don’t pass up this opportunity to have

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Networking Skills Video Series

Do you dread networking? Do you look for any excuse to delay going to the big reception and then clump together with people you already know when you get there? You are not alone, but you can rise above your fear and dread. The truth is that your success at an industry event hinges on your ability to talk with people, learn about them and make an impression so they will remember you. I’ve created

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Circumstances and Perspective

Click through and scroll down to watch the short video. This is a simple concept that we all lose sight of from time to time, so it bears repeating. Our circumstances are quite often happening to us. Sometimes bad stuff happens and we are powerless to change it. What we do have power over is our perspective through which we view the circumstances. Think of this like a lens or a framework for seeing the

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What’s Your Story?

I am a magnet for success and good fortune. About ten years ago, I adopted this affirmation. It reminds me of my power to attract the people, things and circumstances that I want more of in my life. When I put my current office together in 2015, I wrote this on the bottom side of my desk (see the photo above). I also wrote it on a post-it note and stuck it to my computer

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You Need a Smile File

Last week I received a lovely email from a woman who participated in my webinar. She let me know that the content I shared made a big impact on her and she’s looking forward to putting the concepts to work in her life. Today, as I was feeling low and lacking motivation, I re-read that email. It literally turned my day around and got me thinking about the wisdom of collecting these little notes as

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