🌻 May 2024: Activity, Advice, Aging and More

📣 Update from last month's "big news"... I'm halfway through the creation of a video training series that I have been asked by Madecraft to make for them this spring on how to provide encouraging and empowering #leadership and #management to #GenZ employees! 🎉 I will keep you posted on when and where it will be released -- some time this summer. So excited for this new opportunity.

Other than that, I just finished teaching an internship course with a fantastic group of 14 undergrads. This year marks 40 years that I have worked with students. That feels equally gratifying... and terrifying! A mental slide show of decades of former students and interns are scrolling through my head right now and I am warmed by the (mostly!) delightful memories.

Certainly, while I am humbled by the extent of my past experiences, I am also anxious to stay continuously current and aware of what is happening right now and in the near future. That is especially why I am excited about the upcoming video training course I am making. And also about the resources I get to share with you each month here. Enjoy!

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𝟏:𝟏 How to Maximize Impact with Manager One-on-One Meetings. This is a surprisingly good article on how #managers can #maximize impact in their in their #1on1s. It's not a reductive, 5-bullet-and-buh-bye set of obvious tips. It gets in the weeds. I recommend it. Nice work, #Lattice

🏃🏽‍➡️ Don’t Underestimate the Power of Small Breaks During a Busy Workday. As someone who spends the majority of my day seated (or occasionally standing) at my desk, this was helpful. I’m trying to do little “exercise snacks” too.

🥱 🥳 Languishing vs Flourishing: where do you fit? Perhaps you've heard these two terms more often recently: #languishing and #flourishing. We may think we know what they mean, but this article (a mere 5-minute read) really breaks them both down and made me do some reflecting. It does a good job contrasting #mentalillness with #mentalhealth.

📜 101 more pieces of life advice. Try reviewing one suggestion from this list every day and let it prompt some reflection. I’m humbled by this one: “Multitasking is a myth. Don’t text while walking, running, biking or driving. Nobody will miss you if you just stop for a minute.”

🎵 "When I'm 64..." OK, maybe turning 63 this year has gotten my attention a teeny bit more when it comes to the future? But WOW, these articles are worth paying attention to, both personally and professionally, when it comes to those 65 and older. This is a speed round of links with little to no commentary - don't skip any of them because each one offers new insights:

• Boomers are defying age norms and you are losing out. 
• The growth of the older workforce. Do you know the fastest-growing demographic in the workplace is ages 65-74??
• Coping with the stress of retirement. 
• 7 best practices to confront age bias, build generational diversity.
• Lifelong lessons in coping with fear and humiliation (by Anne Lamott)
• "Wiser Than Me" podcast with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Fantastic interviews of famous women aged 70 or older. Utter delight.

Final Thought.

"Don’t ever be ashamed of loving the strange things that make your weird little heart happy." — Elizabeth Gilbert

Thanks for reading... please pass this page along to friends, family and coworkers. And reach out with questions and comments at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. Cheers!

July 2023: Halfway

Somehow we’re already at the halfway point of 2023! I have nothing profound to say about that other than time sure does fly.  

This post builds on that concept figuratively... are you "halfway" through your life? Career? Professional development? These resources might provide some "next steps" for your journey.

I've saved up so many articles, podcasts, and book recommendations that I may post again in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned -- and thanks for reading!

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🧨 Management Training for Those Who Need a Boost. Last month I posted info about a coaching bundle I offer to individual clients and got a good response. That is still available!

That prompts me to make a similar offer this month: If you are feeling a little stalled (or overwhelmed?) in your own leadership and management, I have coached other clients in these competencies. You can access them from me through a “Coaching Bundle” where I offer 6 one-hour sessions to individuals for $500, which means you get one free session 👏🏽 The 6 sessions include:

• The Leader as Coach: How to not just solve the issues that your team brings to you, but instead develop them as self-sustaining leaders.
• How to Have Difficult Conversations: I recently read that managers use up to 40% of their time on managing conflict between people or within processes. In other words, difficult conversations are inevitable -- how can we have them productively?
• Managing Oneself: How to develop yourself professionally and sustainably throughout their career.
• Career Planning: How to coach your direct reports in career advancement and professional development
• Developing Resilience: Resilience is about recovering from setbacks (as opposed to burnout).
• Building Psychological Safety on your Team. How to help your team learn to speak up, participate and advocate for themselves.

If these don't "scratch where you itch" but you feel like you need a boost regardless, set up a complementary 30-min appt with me to talk over what you need.

📝 How to Describe Your Work Experience on Your Resume.  I often work with my #coaching #clients on their #resumes. One of the biggest struggles is figuring out how to describe their #workexperience. Here are some ideas to 🍯 stir the pot. HOT TIP: keep your resume up to date on a regular basis. That way, if an opportunity comes your way, you will be ready to apply.

𝟮𝟴 Questions to Ask Your Boss in Your One-on-Ones. The response of a C-Suite client with many direct reports says it all: "I LOVE this article!!" It is worth its weight in gold, especially if 1:1’s with your manager are lacking a little energy. It also equips you to effectively manage up with your supervisor, which will get their attention over time.

⏳ Is It Too Late to Start Over? I cannot recommend this podcast episode enough! It is as if they recorded several of my coaching conversations with clients who are contemplating a career pivot. Everything advised in this episode is stuff that I have recommended to clients. Take time to listen to this one.

🙋🏽‍♀️ 🧠 Women & Autism. Listened to an excellent #podcast interview of Katherine May, an author who figured out she is #autistic as an adult. I recommend it highly. And as I mentioned last month, don't miss this great article by Temple Grandin in a similar vein, When Great Minds Don't Think Alike. I continue to have conversations with multiple clients about their discoveries in later adulthood of ADHD, Autism, OCD, etc. LOTS to learn here. #neurodiversity #women

📖 From Strength to Strength by Arthur Brooks. I just finished this book and really enjoyed it. In the past few months I have had multiple conversations with people ranging in age from early 40's to late 50's who want and need a change professionally and yet feel somewhat paralyzed as to where and how to start figuring out what might be next. (Go back to that Halfway sign at the top!)  This book captures much of the "why" behind all of those feelings, and gives language to it all. Additionally, here is a podcast interview of the author that was published when the book came out, that might give you a sense of what he expands upon in the book.

Again, MANY thanks for reading. Feel free to forward this to someone you know, and send questions and feedback to me at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. 

October 2022: Reflect, Resolve, Remote, Recover

I found this illustration humorous -- of course in part because I am a devoted cat owner (shout out to 7 month-old kitten #Otisthecat) but also because I think we all tend to overcomplicate things. My hope is that this blog provides some hacks each month for you to help you wade through the noise and find some simpler solutions to complex issues. So here goes!

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🛠 How to Build a New Leadership Identity. I like this article because it captures some of the tension between transitioning from being an #individualcontributor to becoming a #manager and #leader. Do you have a "leadership identity"? If so, how did you discover and learn to define it?

⏳ Your Career Is Just One-Eighth of Your Life. Here are five pieces of career advice from a reliable source (Derek Thompson at the Atlantic - his podcast Plain English is also on regular rotation for me). Number Four on his five pieces of advice is the one I've especially taken to heart this year. And should you be in a reflective mood about your career and want to delve further, I also recommend this blog post, A Tale of Two Funerals. 

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If you find yourself at a crossroads professionally - you're hitting mid-life, you wonder if you're a good fit, you feel stuck... please go to my calendar and set up a one-time complimentary meeting so we can talk through your coaching options. I have just assembled a "coaching bundle" of various processes that could help you get started in a new direction.

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📉📈 When Success Isn't Success. I’ve had this conversation recently with a couple of people. I have found that an upside (perhaps the only one?!) of the pandemic has been that people have been drawn to the #existentialquestions of life – why am I here? what is my purpose? what is the meaning of life? This podcast certainly doesn’t solve those questions, but the conversation about it all here is very engaging.

🥊 Need Help with Conflict Resolution? I recently surveyed 75 of my clients, both past and present, and one of the things I asked was what specific issues do they need help with now. One of the most frequent responses I received was #conflictresolution. This article won't solve this struggle, but it gives some good baseline principles from which to start. #howtoargue #seektounderstand

🖥 Advice from the CEO of an All-Remote Company. I’ve worked virtually since 2010. I find that the reason #remotework is challenging is because we approach it the same way we do in-person work. Which makes no sense. I’m working hard to help leaders learn how to adapt effectively and think strategically in regard to working remotely. If you like this episode, you may find this article useful as well: 4 Myths about In-Person Work, Dispelled.

🤕 What's Your Grief? We experience all sorts of loss: the passing of loved ones; job loss; the end of a key friendship; the death of a treasured pet; even the disappointment of how much the world has changed since March 2020. This website is a good resource to get started on addressing your grief and loss, which has many layers of complexity. Here's a sample article: The Grief of Non-Death Losses. Additionally, here’s a podcast that provides a glimpse into counseling sessions on a variety of emotional issues: Dear Therapists.

What we do every day matters more than what we do once in a while. 

–GRETCHEN RUBIN

Great reminder that our habits and routines matter.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to pass this along to others. 

I am in the midst of compiling some new training and coaching resources for clients after five years of dedicating my efforts full-time to KS Leadership Development, and would love to share them with you if you're interested. Again, just set up a one-time complimentary appointment with me at https://bit.ly/KSLDApptScheduler.  

August 2022: Stay the Course

In May I shared that I had broken my left ankle and that I was heading into a l-o-n-g recovery that I dubbed the "Summer of Slow." July 31st marked twelve weeks since my accident! There has been some good progress: I've moved from the leg scooter to crutches to a mere walking stick (without the boot), but my ability to walk is rather severely limited by two long screws that are still connecting my two leg bones to allow for healing. Thus I am counting the days (hours? minutes?) till they are removed on August 17. 

One upside of all this is that it has forced allowed more time for reading and reflection. So this month's set of recommendations are perhaps a bit more plentiful than usual. Last month I talked about "course-correcting" as I sought to move from surviving to thriving; this month I want to share some of the things I'm reading and learning about that are helping me to stay on that course. I hope they are beneficial to you as well!

🗺 Career Planning. Many people reach out to me for help in figuring out their next steps job-wise, especially during #TheGreatResignation (which some call the #TheGreatReassessment). But I am surprised to find that many if not most have not really done much career planning -- in other words, people know how to look for a job, but they may not have a definitive career path. This article is a good start - hit me up if you want or need more resources. #lookingforjob #lookingforchange

🔎 Managing Oneself. Perhaps that recommendation above could be "Part One" in your career map and this link could be "Part Two." Do not pass up this article when you see that it was written in 1999 ~ as one close friend told me, it is a gem 💎.  As stated in the intro, "This article challenges readers to take responsibility for managing their futures, both in and out of the office." The author, Peter Drucker, is someone you want to become familiar with if you are not already.

🗣 The 4 Most Important Voices for a Senior Leader. Here's a good inventory to use... as leaders we usually need to build a personal #boardofdirectors to cultivate and sustain long-term #growthmindset and #motivation. Do you have these four voices in your life?  #leadership #leaders

🎯 Marshall Goldsmith: The Essentials Of Leadership. A podcast interview that is a master class on leadership. I’ve referenced Marshall Goldsmith before, and this one is even better. 

🎧 Flourish FM podcasts. Excellent podcast series on the whole area of wellbeing, flourishing, meaning and purpose. I especially appreciated Episode #2 on the importance of meaning. The series is generated by research from the Harvard Flourishing Program. This has been a great resource for my own growth and learning on wellbeing.

🧨 Burnout: A thread on how it works and how to deal with it. This bubbled up on my Twitter feed and I found it enlightening.

⏳ The philosophy of middle age. I would say the top three topics that clients bring to me are: 1) management or leadership needs; 2) wellbeing; 3) mid-life crisis! This is a “you too?!” podcast discussion that I definitely recommend. They open by defining mid-life crisis as a “general malaise” and then discuss the feelings, options, etc.

💭 Pandemic reflections from an executive coach. I have to say that I resonate with most of his experience as described here: clients are re-evaluating when, where, and why they and their employees are now choosing to meet in person -- almost none of my clients are returning to their 2019 working arrangements, but they are enjoying occasional in-person meetings. Additionally, many are seeing the pandemic as a learning experience that enabled their organizations to become more flexible on a permanent basis… As I kept saying at the outset of all this, the pandemic did not create any of the issues we were facing, it only accelerated them. I imagine we'll be studying and reflecting on these years following March 2020 for years to come.

Thanks for reading -- is there someone who would benefit from reading this as well? As always, send feedback at questions to kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me.

July 2022: Time to Course Correct?

As I noted in my May post two months ago, I have spent this "Summer of Slow" recovering from my broken ankle. During the 4th of July weekend I had some extra time to take stock of how I was doing mentally as this process kept unwinding and had to face the fact that I was somewhere between "struggling" and "surviving." I recognized that I need to rally and somehow find the resolve to move into thriving if I was going to recover adequately. Obviously, this is easier said than done, but through a concerted pursuit of journaling, reading, reflecting, talking with trusted friends, and some prayer, I feel the clouds starting to part. 

These resources below are resonant with this pivot -- how can each of us regroup and find new strength and direction in the midst of so many personal and global challenges? I hope you find them encouraging and stimulating.

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Thoughtful description of how life has felt since March 2020. The majority of my client conversations revolve around how much life has changed since the pandemic, both personally and professionally. With those changes, not all of which have been bad, there have been some deep losses. This newsletter post captures some of the sorrow that accompanies those losses, and how to work through your sadness productively so that you can move forward.

Let’s Redefine the Role of Manager. I’m assisting in management training with two different companies, plus 1:1 with some individual clients. I believe this brief podcast captures how much the role of manager has changed due to several factors: the pandemic (obviously), generational changes in how people view work, advances in technology, to name a few. The deeper dive on this question is found in this article, written by the same person interviewed in this podcast: Managers Can’t Do It All. I strongly suggest you review these two resources if you are an executive, so you can get a very clear sense of what your managers are dealing with... and if you're a manager, I hope you'll appreciate how these capture your reality.

Tracking my stress at work actually helped my productivity. I liked this article because it not only proposes an idea, but walks the reader through the steps to apply it. I would be interested to hear if you apply it and find it helpful.

Understanding anxiety —and its surprising upside. Coupled with the article above, this interview helps us to reorient and try to move, as I stated above, from surviving to thriving. (PS I recommend this podcast overall -- the host consistently interviews fascinating people and touches on some truly thought-provoking topics). This article, It’s time to reframe our thoughts around anxiety. Here’s how to use it productively, is a good companion to the podcast in that it interviews the same neuroscientist, so the content gets reinforced and outlined.

The Big Winners and Losers From the Remote Work Revolution. This is a pretty darn interesting discussion and very different from other conversations I’ve listened to on remote work.  The core question they talk about: what is the “job” of the office?

"The average American has only been to 5 of these places, how about you?" This one is purely for fun. Though I am happy to say that I've been to twenty of these places. But then again, I have no idea why these particular sites are on the list.

Thanks for reading -- share it with a friend or co-worker. And please feel free to send questions and feedback to kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. Onward and upward.

December 2021: What is Work?

During calls with clients one day this week, I "went" to Bosnia, Thailand, and England -- and Chicago in the US. I could never have imagined that work could look like that even ten years ago. It is equal parts fascinating and disorienting. Each day, week, and month I am seeing more and more how work is shifting and changing: when it happens, how it is accomplished, who I collaborate with, how we communicate, how it grows... just to name a few of the transformations I'm witnessing and experiencing.

This month's post is all about the ways I'm thinking and learning about "work." There is no order of importance or sequence here... each thing I list this month simply speaks somehow to the question of "What is work?"

🕰 The Future Of Work Is Asynchronous—And These Companies Are Leading The Way. I'm having so many conversations about this, but it requires a massive paradigm shift in the way projects are managed and work is accomplished. Once you actually start understanding and using these new, foreign words "asynchronous" and "synchronous," this article might help you jumpstart the paradigm shifting process. Go ahead -- take the leap!

🧠 Neurodiversity at Work. I have already shared this individually with several people and with a team of managers. This is a tremendous episode. We ALL work with and know neurodiverse people, even if we don't realize it... ADHD, OCD, dyslexia, autism spectrum: all fall under this grouping of neurodiversity. This podcast episode is wonderful and enlightening, including interviews with a man on the autism spectrum who worked as an intern at Procter & Gamble, a supervisor of neurodiverse employers, and a clinician. Please listen and share this with others. We all need to keep learning about this to be better colleagues, supervisors, friends, family members and citizens.

🪜 HBR Ascend. This is my new favorite Instagram account, though I've linked you to their website here. It is designed to "help young professionals find their place in the working world and realize their personal and career goals." Lots of good material on starting a career, well-being, and pursuing professional development. Everyone would benefit from the content here.

👨🏽‍💻 Workers of the world, stay home! I know, there are so many opinions swirling about remote work. But this interview with Anne Helen Petersen and Charlie Warzel is a discussion about the real issue: how we define, measure and accomplish work in the 21st century.

🙏🏽 Pico Iyer and Elizabeth Gilbert – The Future of Hope. Admittedly, this conversation is really about LIFE, not work. It seems to capture so much of what we have all gone through since March 2020, and I just had to include it. Listen to it in a quiet space. It is very tender and thoughtful. 

🏴‍☠️ Random Stuff! These were all fun things I bumped into when I needed a brain break so my brain wouldn't break... (har de har har).

• Free Classic Books Online. A very clean and simple website called "Library Athena." But of course you have read these lovely works already! 🤣
• How Bowling Balls Are Made. Could. Not. Stop. Watching. This.
• Book Donkey. In case you need to be reminded of your many blessings, and of the beauty tucked into so many places in the world. 
• Cool organizational tool. I received this from a client (and former student who is now a stud!). Looks so-o-o-o nice.

Final thoughts...

"We are what we repeatedly do."
Aristotle (via Will Durant)

Many thanks for reading.... As always, feel free to reach out to me with feedback or questions at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. 

November 2021: The Great Reassessment

I am sure you have heard that pundits have named these recent months "The Great Resignation" thanks to the massive shifts happening in the workplace due to the pandemic. Based on the large number of conversations I am having with clients, I would verify that this topic is front and center in the minds of both employees and employers.

Yet I heard something yesterday that resonated with me: a commentator stated that they wish we could rename this current situation The Great Reassessment. Below are some resources I have leaned into personally and with clients as we all use the massive upheaval of last 20+ months to reassess... EVERYTHING.

REFLECTION. 

I find that most people have strong opinions (positive or negative) about journaling... I'll make it clear from the start that I am lifelong journal keeper and have found the practice invaluable to my emotional, mental and spiritual health. I'm still doing that every morning, but recently I've started writing a one-sentence summary at the end of my day, and have found the habit quite refreshing. In part, I got the idea from Gretchen Rubin here. Not sure you need to spend $24.99 on her One-Sentence Journal - you can easily just buy a blank notebook at CVS or open a free online account at Evernote (which is what I do). I also invite you to access my ever-growing folder of Journal Prompts to jumpstart your effort.

34 Mistakes on the Way to 34 Years Old. Yet another way to reflect on your life, yet with a wider lens. I appreciated Ryan Holiday's transparency here. I will also admit that I have not yet managed to harness the energy to do this same exercise because... perhaps I have to add just few more years to 34? 😵‍💫

3 Changes I'm Making to Find Balance. A good podcast for "women of a certain age" on health, hormones and heart.

LEADERSHIP.

Yes, I am endlessly interested in this topic, and while I have read to a surprising number of books on the topic, and listened to a massive (not kidding) podcast episodes about it as well, I remain pleasantly surprised that there are still new insights to be gained on the subject. Here are two really good resources:

The Dave Chang Show: A Training Session with the World's Best Executive Coach. I absolutely LOVED this interview. Lots of good challenges to be found. You may want to listen to it more than once. P.S. I read Dave Chang's memoir, Eat a Peach, on vacation this summer and couldn't put it down. It has a surprising amount of leadership insights in it. Granted, I was also fascinated by his experience in the restaurant industry and his own story regarding mental health, his Korean-American upbringing, his negative experience with Christianity, among other things. 

Coaching Real Leaders with Muriel Wilkins. Admittedly, I've recommended this podcast before, but her second season has been outstanding, so I want to recommend it again. This is a master class in executive coaching, and the topics being covered are SO pertinent. Please check it out.

WORKPLACE HACKS.

I don't quite know what else to name this section. But these are resources that just might help you sharpen your game at work.

8 Tips for Conducting an Excellent Remote Interview. I liked this article because it didn't just give lame, obvious advice -- it was so practical and clearly rooted in experience. And honestly, the questions would be helpful for an in-person interview as well. Pay special attention to the questions on #emotionalintelligence. 

How Emotionally Intelligent People Use the 'Golden Question'. I could have easily posted this article under the "Reflection" section, but we certainly need to keep learning how to be more mindful at work, so here it is. It offers good insights on how to keep learning how to manage our emotions in these intense days. We all need to learn how to slow down, be more self-aware and reflective. If you only have time to read one article from my post, this is the one.

The 31 Best LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Seekers (and anyone who wants to keep theirs in tip-top shape!). I recommend to all of my clients to keep your resume up-to-date and that includes maintaining (creating?) a substantive LinkedIn profile. This helps in several ways, but here are two motivators, if you need it: if and when a great job opportunity comes along, you will be ready to apply, and not pass it up because you don't have the time or energy to update your resume that is woefully out of date; secondly, headhunters will be able to find you if you have a current profile. Snap to it! P.S. LinkedIn may be the only sane social media platform left out there... if you don't already, I highly recommend that you put a reminder in your calendar to post content at least once a week on LinkedIn and bring some energy to your networking skills. C'mon... it can't hurt!

DOING GOOD.

Final thoughts for this post... I read this lovely quote yesterday from Bishop Michael Curry:

In the United States and in the world, we have different cultures, different politics, different experiences that have shaped our beliefs. But if we can establish that we’re working toward some common good, whether we like each other or not, then we can be brothers and sisters. . . . Let’s all stop worrying about whether we like each other and choose to believe instead that we’re capable of doing good together. . . 

Thanks for reading. Feel free to share it with others. Reach out to me with questions or feedback at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. Cheers! 

May 2021: It's a Small World

Once in awhile I take a moment and reflect on how differently work life can unfold these days. For example, yesterday I had to get up a little earlier for a 7am call... I brewed a stiff 3-shot latte, turned on my screen and signed in for a call with people in Boise, Sarajevo and Bangkok! Our worlds spanned 7am for me, 4pm for Sarajevo, and 9pm for Bangkok. 

I finished with them, made some oatmeal, journaled a bit to prepare for the rest of my day, and signed on for a 9am call with someone in Germany. It was a great conversation. Though these international calls have become more typical for me, I still find the novelty of it enjoyable. I also feel challenged to keep learning about effective communication, connection, and collaboration under these conditions, whether someone is in Kuala Lumpur or Chicago.

This enlarged global perspective, fostered by these international clients and relationships, has also been deepened for me in the past year as we have collectively experienced COVID-19. I make it a point to regularly listen to the BBC Global News Podcast to make sure I don't get all my news through the tunnel vision of US politics. So today I am grieved by the worsening numbers of COVID cases in India and Brazil, even as my world here opens up incrementally more, especially after receiving my 2nd vaccine dose.

Bottom line: in a year where divisions have deepened and increased, I pray many of us have somehow grown in compassion in light of the shared trauma the world has gone through. One can hope.

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Onward and upward to my recommendations for this month!

🌎 Armchair Expert Interview with Erin Meyer on the Culture Map. I have used this interview with all of my international clients. Honestly, I can't recommend it enough. As the world continues to connect globally through technology, we need to advance in our cultural and relational understanding as well. This interview is a hoot but also gives GREAT nuts and bolts about we often misunderstand each other. Don't skip this one.

❤️ Who We Are Now. This is an interactive piece with evocative photos, quotes and brief reflections from a wide swath of Americans. Outstanding, poignant, thought-provoking words on how people are processing what they've learned during the pandemic. I recommend it highly. 

🎧 Bessel van der Kolk: Our Bodies Keep Score (podcast interview). I mentioned here in February 2020 that I was reading Bessel Van der Kolk's powerful book, The Body Keeps the Score. It's a remarkable book, but also a bit of a heavy lift if you have plenty of other things on your plate (um, don't we all?!) So a second-best option would be to listen to this excellent interview of the author, where he applies his insights to what we are experiencing now.

🖥 What Is Your Organization’s Long-Term Remote Work Strategy? I've done a fair amount of reading on this and I've also taken a certificate course on remote work. I believe this article is a good summary of some of the dynamics at play. Before diving into the weeds of how all of this could and should happen, this article asks some of the bigger questions to reflect on first. I thought this article, Here’s What You Need to Know (and Ask) if Your Company’s Considering a Hybrid Work Setup, also provided a lot of helpful parameters.

📝 What Does It Mean to Be a Manager Today? Many of my conversations with senior leaders revolve around several unknowns: 

• How flexible do I need to be with the stress of returning to the office? 
• What do I do about expectations around the vaccine? 
• How do I plan ahead when we are still entering such uncharted territory? 

This article doesn't solve it all (don't I wish?!) but it does break some things down. 

📺 What I am watching... I am more of a reader than a watcher, but a few things caught my attention this month.

• Hemingway. This is a film documentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. As a forever former English major, I was excited to watch this. Plus having enjoyed past Burns and Novick docs on the National Parks, the Roosevelts, Jackie Robinson, the Civil War, etc., my expectations were even higher and it did not disappoint. I binged it in 3 consecutive nights and was left with more questions than answers about the writer himself, his motivations, his mistakes, his genius. I immediately ordered his memoir A Moveable Feast to keep chewing on the questions. PS If you are not a subscriber to PBS, it's only $5/month, people! That's unlimited access to British Baking Show. What else do you need?!
• Derry Girls. I am late to this party but delighted in it all nonetheless. It didn't hurt that I had some extra time on my hands after my 2nd COVID vax left me on the couch with zero energy. I am now counting the days till Season Three comes out...
• WeWork: or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn. I'm not sure if this is a story about a tech supernova that blew up, or a cult. It's a trip, regardless.

Final Thoughts.

As we each ease out of this pandemic into a different world from a year ago, be gracious with yourself and others. I read this this morning and it touched me deeply.

May you be blessed with good friends.

May you learn to be a good friend to yourself.

May you be able to journey to that place in your soul where

there is great love, warmth, feeling, and forgiveness.

May this change you.

May it transfigure that which is negative, distant, or cold in you.

May you be brought in to the real passion, kinship, and affinity of belonging.

May you treasure your friends.

May you be good to them and may you be there for them;

may they bring you all the blessing, challenges, truth,

and light that you need for your journey.

May you never be isolated.

May you always be in the gentle nest of belonging with your anam ċara.

-John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

January 2021: Reflection, Resources and Remote Work

Where do I begin? In some ways I have some genuine energy around the beginning of this new year. I found the Thursday through Sunday breaks of Christmas and New Year's almost magical this time around... truly restful. I set aside time for reflection and really processed this past nightmare, er um, 2020 year. I even did some goal-setting, although I'm trying to be realistic about how much one can predict as to what lies ahead.

So this month's set of recommendations and resources are pretty hefty. I have used all of them personally or with clients. You may want to bookmark this post ~ it's a bounty of interesting stuff. Happy 2021, friends. Let's be in it together. In a socially distant way, anyway...

Reflection. Like I said, I had some extra EXTRA time for reflection during this break thanks to no travel and a very quiet household. In other words, do not be daunted by this list. Just pick one or two of them. I definitely recommend looking backward before moving forward.

• 2020 Reflection Questions. I took some time to sit on these and review this year. Might be fun to share this with those close to you and see what they come up with. If you want to jumpstart some new journaling habits, you can also go here: https://bit.lyKSLDJournalPrompts  
• Adobe My Creative Types. Sure sure, we all like online quizzes, right? But this has some intriguing, out-of-the-box questions. My results were spot-on and I'm using them in conjunction with my Strengths Finder profile to assess how I'm approaching things this year. (PS I'm a "Thinker")
• BP 10 Assessment. This is an undersold tool created by Gallup. Especially if you are launching into a new endeavor or project (or want to assess if it's a good fit to do so), I recommend this tool. I also recommend that you process the results with someone to get the full impact. Talking about it somehow helps...
• A "21 for 21" list.  List twenty-one things you’d like to do by 2022. These items can be easy or ambitious; one-time undertakings or habits that stretch for years; fun or...less fun. I've barely started mine but want to keep building it.
• How to be a less-stressed leader. I just posted this on LinkedIn. Might be good to print out and place next to your desk?
• Low-stress New Year's resolution options. If all of this overwhelm you, here are some easy-peasy, low-impact ways to make some tangible steps. Be gentle with yourself.

Resources. I think because most of my clients have been working from home, there weren't as many distractions this year (little travel, no holiday parties), so I was working with people till December 30! So here are some of the tools I passed along to them this month. Buckle up!

• Talk Less. Listen More. Here's How. Favorite quote: "Listening is a skill. And as with any skill, it degrades if you don’t do it enough. Some people may have stronger natural ability while others may have to work harder, but each of us can become a better listener with practice."
• 100 Tips for a Better Life. I don't know if "better" is the right word -- perhaps "more efficient"? Nevertheless, super intriguing list.
• Better Ways to Manage Up and Out. HBR IdeaCast is a must-listen on my podcast list. This one is a great breakdown of the fuzzy concepts of soft power and how exactly to “manage up.” (PS Here's an earlier post of mine on how to manage up...)
• Use OKRs to Set Goals for Teams, Not Individuals. I thought this article did a good job delineating the management of teams vs individuals, and defining what are true *results*. Could be fodder for onboarding of new managers and/or an ongoing training conversation with experienced managers? 
• 7 Questions to Ask Yourself If You’re Thinking of Making a Career Change During COVID-19. Shhhhh... Quite a few people have reached out for help as they consider a job change. This might feel hard to do as you try to keep up with a demanding job, but a lot of folks are getting a chance to ask themselves, "Do I actually like what I'm doing?" These questions might seem obvious, but I think they guide a productive and fruitful start to your thought process. 
• Multi-Gen Workforce 2021 graphic. Graphics are well... simplistic. But this might be a handy reference for leaders and managers as we lead a very diverse workforce these days of Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. There is a Grand Canyon of differences between these generations in work style, attitudes, etc. I do a lot of "translating" for leaders and employees in my consulting because both parties want to tear their hair out at times. Here is a secret decoder ring :)

Remote Work #WFH. Yep. This is definitely a thing. We are in the wild, wild West of the workplace as we adjust and reorganize due to the pandemic. As many pundits are saying, this is just speeding up the inevitable. Here are few things to leverage as we keep adjusting and learning. To quote Billy Beane in Moneyball, "Adapt or die!"

• 8 Questions Every Manager Should Ask in One-on-One Meetings. Seems basic, but I recommend creating a template and tracking these questions month-to-month. Here's the document as a JPEG: https://bit.ly/1-1MgrQs 
• Where Did the Commute Time Go? Offers several insights, borne out as well by my work with clients, that caught my attention. The article also describes some possible responses to these changes as the pandemic starts to resolve.
• Pomodor app. Much of the conversation around remote work revolves around productivity. I think the question should shift to one of focus, and how to maintain motivation and momentum. This tool (hack?) is simple and practical, but it can be a powerful way to improve your productivity and focus. MANY of my clients are struggling during this pandemic to make deep, focused work happen consistently as they work from home and juggle multiple, daily zooms. This tool can block out distractions and articulate your intentions. It lets you set custom work and break times, track your work by labeling each session, and show or hide the timer in your browser’s menu bar. The app even works offline and syncs your stats across devices. Here is a graphic of how the Pomodoro approach works: https://bit.ly/KSLDPomodoroTool

Point to Ponder.

“If I was to sum up the single biggest problem of senior leadership in the Information Age,” four-star Marine Corps general and former secretary of defense James Mattis has said, “it’s lack of reflection. Solitude allows you to reflect while others are reacting. We need solitude to refocus on prospective decision-making, rather than just reacting to problems as they arise.”

Please feel free to reach out to me with feedback or questions at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. Thanks for reading! 

Learning, Living, Listening: March 2020

February was a full month for me… It included trips to Chicago and Boise to work with clients, a garden-variety cold that just would not let go, another birthday (they just keep coming, dang it!), and three new clients.  In the balance, a great month ~ indeed, I am grateful!

Thus with gratitude in mind, I want to share three different resources I came across in the last month that reminded me of the things that really matter. Amidst the chaos of coronavirus and this election season, I am doing my best to focus on further horizons, on what it takes to make a difference over a lifetime. I hope they encourage and challenge you.

LEARNING. A Little Happier: Teacher Anne Sullivan Writes About Helen Keller’s Moment of Profound Realization. Ignore the first 57 seconds of this link and then listen undistracted for the next three minutes. I promise that you will be moved as you listen. Then take some time to recall which teachers had the greatest impact on you, and consider where you can do the same.

LIVING. Third Places. This is a concept that I only learned about a few years ago, but I really resonate with it. As the article says, "Your first place is your home; your second place is your work. Your third places are your regular haunts." He goes on to list the eight qualities of a Third Place. Politics and a potential pandemic will only serve to divide and isolate us further. In contrast, I hope more and more of us can seek to create third places, and also seek to reach into new locations outside of our safe bubbles. Working from home, I am certainly reminded that I need to be more intentional in cultivating third places, and in pursuing deeper and slower conversations wherever I am.

LISTENING. Wild Work Advice with Cheryl Strayed. This comes from one of my favorite podcasts, hosted by Adam Grant, called WorkLife. Grant is an organizational psychologist who studies motivation and meaning in the workplace. This particular episode revolves around whom we seek out for advice regarding work. It's a great conversation.

Bonus Content. The Era of Antisocial Social Media. I'm adding this one because I am so intrigued by it. Just when I thought I had finally figured out how to use social media, I came across this dandy curveball… Trends are showing that  younger people do not like social media as much as private messaging! Read this article for some really interesting new research around a rejection of social media. Which is probably good news for everyone, right?

Final thoughts...

"Hope does not need to silence the rumblings of crisis to be hope."

Walter Brueggemann

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to pass this along to others, and send feedback and questions to kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. You can also find lots of other resources for your work life at bit.ly/KSLDresources.  Ciao for now!

Efficiency, Eating, Epitaphs, Education, plus an Extra: July 2019

2019 is halfway down and I've had a good year so far. I just finished teaching a great group of 22 law students from Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law in Strengths-Finders in order to equip them in soft skills and emotional intelligence. It was a great time and I continue to learn from every group I'm with. I love my work!

I've got an eclectic (sticking with the E theme in the title, get it?!) assortment of resources for this month. ENJOY!

10 Famous Epitaphs: The Good, the Bad, and the Weird. This weekend as I taught I shared at one point from the classic book, Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I continue to benefit from Habit #2, which is "Begin with the end in mind." Every time I refer to this habit, I always remind people, "What do you want to have said on your tombstone?" In other words, how do you want to be remembered? So I found this collection of funny and poignant epitaphs and encourage you to use them as a prompt to reflect: How do you want to be remembered?

Time Blocking: Improve Your Focus And Get More Meaningful Work Done. Efficiency and time management continues to be favorite topic with clients. Here's another good idea if you need some help. Personally, I diligently follow this method described by Cal Newport, as quoted in this article:

“I take time blocking seriously, dedicating ten to twenty minutes every evening to building my schedule for the next day. During this planning process I consult my task lists and calendars, as well as my weekly and quarterly planning notes. My goal is to make sure progress is being made on the right things at the right pace for the relevant deadlines.”

African Leadership University.  I found this article in Fast Company magazine. It was super inspiring to me not only for what this leader is doing in Africa but for his ideas about the future of higher education. UH-MAZING. Don't skip it.

I love to COOK and EAT! I have decided to add one of my favorite recipes each month to my posts because that is a big part of my life that I want to share with you. Feel free to share your recipes with me as well. This recipe, Gallo Pinto (known elsewhere as Arroz Negrito), is a winner and can be used for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I like to add some shredded chicken in it if I'm eating it for dinner, and it just gets better as leftovers. It is also a home run with eggs as well. KEY INGREDIENT: chicken broth instead of water!

EXTRA Resource: "It's OK to be a Late Bloomer." Many of my conversations with clients rotate around the tension between pursuing a career and finding your purpose, between burnout and stress management, between when to persist and when to pivot. This interview is a great encouragement to parents of high school or college students, but also those who feel like they are either stalled in their career or having a hard time even getting started. I highly recommend it.

Final thought for the month:

All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. If we do not transform our pain, we will transmit it to those around us. (Richard Rohr)

Thanks for reading. Feel free to share with a friend, colleague or boss. Reach out to me at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. Happy July!

Maps, Mindset, Multi-Tasking and Milestones: May 2019

I am fresh from an incredible week of vacation in the Pacific Northwest so I am feeling GOOD! Not only did it not rain, the weather hovered between 70-80 degrees all week. Bizarre for May in the PNW, but I can't deny I enjoyed it. Three nights on Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park and great hospitality from dear friends made it quite lovely. I am including a shot from the private little beach I enjoyed at our cabin on Lake Crescent. I spent time walking or hiking each day and reading to my heart's content. Does it get any better??

Despite the rest I have still accumulated a pile of resources I want to pass along. Give them all a spin ~ I loved each one of them.

MAPS! For some reason the universe conspired to drop incredibly cool and nerdy maps into my field of vision these past few weeks. PLEASE take some time to tour each one of them...

7 maps that tell the incredible story of aging in America. This one is a feast of fascination. It makes my head spin to think about the implications of this data. Make sure you hit the "exclusive map series" link to get the goods. And when you tour each map, keep zooming in on specific counties to see the stats. From health care to advertising to higher ed to church life, the ramifications of this info seem endless. Check it out. 

40 maps that explain the world. Where do I begin? To quote Donald Rumsfeld, "There are things we don't know we don't know." This link exposed me to a bunch of stuff that caused me to dig even further to learn more. My faves (i.e., those that grabbed my attention most) were maps #4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 24, 28, 32, 40. Which ones stood out to you? 

Bored Panda eagle map. No profound purpose to this one, but SO INTERESTING!

The Future of Leadership Development: A Global Mindset. Given that all things related to #leadershipdevelopment wake me up in the morning, it's no surprise that I loved this one. This quote got my attention:

The future will belong to millennial leaders -- who tend to be increasingly globally oriented and eager to explore the world -- and millennials' inclination to identify themselves as global citizens will further the push for a global viewpoint. 

But here's the kicker:

But few businesses are offering emerging leaders the scope of experience they'll soon need. 

Amen to that. In the past month I've worked with young leaders from the US, Bosnia, Thailand and Philippines. All are hungry to learn, but also know very little about cultural differences and dynamics. Equally significant is the impact of racism and how much that slows progress. So much work to do! My goal is to keep listening to and learning from non-white voices and to read steadily on all the issues around these topics.

What might be most intriguing (and challenging?) of all is reconciling these future trends around globalization and multiculturalism with the aging of America. THAT makes my head hurt.

Multitasking is usually a bad idea, but here are 5 times when it’s okay. This title had me at "hello" because I am a notorious multi-tasker. According to Strengths Finder (Arranger is #6 for me), it actually gives me energy to do so. Even better, this article came up with things I actually do! For example,

I love when my office is neat. But I find the actual process of organization pretty boring. Opening mail, filing papers, sorting through piles, or dusting just don’t engage my brain enough to make them feel like a worthwhile use of time on their own.

That’s why for simple organizational tasks, multitasking actually works. When I do these activities, I’ll talk with a friend or listen to a podcast. 

Let me know whether multi-tasking ever works to your benefit.

OK.... one more BONUS recommendation! How is it possible that 2019 is already almost halfway over!!? With that milestone approaching, I wanted to invite you to do a brief self-check and see if you've followed through on any New Year's Resolutions... No guilt ~ only love! (Here's what I wrote about resolutions earlier this year...)

Depending on how you've done so far, I recommend this brief article titled Three Tips to Change Behavior. Before you slump your shoulders in despair, keep this simple sentence in mind:

If you want to change your life, it requires intentionality. 

Don't give up! And if you either didn't establish any resolutions or want to change the ones you made, go for it. I picked a new one on this recent vacation and have pursued it consistently for the past ten days. It feels good.

Feel free to send me feedback or questions to kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. And feel freer to pass this along to friends and colleagues. Thanks for reading. Ciao!