Leadership lessons don’t always show up in the boardroom.
Sometimes they arrive at the dinner table, with strong opinions and zero filters. Read more to learn how I like to manage negative feedback.

Start the year off with new leadership habits that support your goals. If you’ve struggled in past years with creating new habits, don’t worry. You’re not too busy, too fixed in your routines, or too lazy! Habit formation is a skillset that every leader can learn, starting with one small, easy action repeated consistently.

“I hate dump trucks,” I declared as I maneuvered out of range of one that had been driving alarmingly close to my car. “I knoooooww mom,” my son replied next to me, emphasizing the response with an eye roll. Clearly, he’d heard the dump truck story before. And obviously, I was going to tell it to him again anyway. 😊

Many years ago, when I was a mid-level HR leader, I felt that I had a lot to prove to get to the next level in my career. And so naturally, I did a lot of proving. I was well organized and prepared - for every meeting, every presentation, every interaction. I had lists and agendas and talking points. Everything I did screamed, “Look at how put together I am!”

My mom has always said, “If you’re feeling down, you should go do something nice for someone else.”
As a kid, I didn’t love this advice. I was wallowing, darn it, and someone else should make me feel better! “Doesn’t work like that, sweetheart,” was her typical empathetic response.

Every January, I hit the goal planning HARD. I love setting new goals and intentions for myself. It’s the time of year that I dream up all kinds of new skills to learn, targets to hit and adventures to experience. I’m currently at about 47 items for my 2024 list and I’m not sure that I’m done yet. (Though I suspect my coach will have something to say about the current count!)