‘Nice. Happy. Fun.’ So read my picture’s caption on my 3rd grader’s All About Me poster. She is VIP in her class this week. Amidst the photo cut outs of birthday parties, funny antics and family vacations there were silhouettes of each member of our family. The words caught my eye as glue sticks and scrap paper swirled across the kitchen table Sunday evening in a mad dash for Monday readiness. The words made me pause. Continue reading…
Advice: When to embrace vs. ignore?
Last week a dynamic entrepreneur presented her pitch deck to me and a few other advisors. Her company is a new online service that is sure to up-end a staid fragmented industry. All through the conversation I hung on the edge of my seat waiting to catch pieces of her original concept. With virtually no money the company had acquired a few customers (hooray!) and talked with many prospects. But based on a small sample size of feedback she morphed her plan, radically. Finally I asked, “why have you stepped away from your original concept?” Continue reading…
Does transition ever end?
I remember hopping into taxi cabs terrified that my broken portuguese wouldn’t suffice in communicating my desired location. After a few lengthy and circuitous rides around Sao Paulo, Brazil I reverted to taking the local bus. Much to the horror of my work colleagues I might add. These taxi escapades introduced me to the colorful ribbons that dangled from the rear view mirrors of almost every cab in the city. On each read the phrase, BonFim, and it’s originator the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim. Bonfim simply translated means, good end. If ever there was a wish for transition…. Continue reading…
2012 Summer Book Review Finale: What if?
“I never want to go back to the law,” shared a friend who is a law school graduate and a very accomplished public defender. Our conversation was interrupted by a swirl of kids ages 2 through 8. Mid-sentence we conducted an emergency rescue from a climbing structure that resembled a gangly over-sized found-art project. Public defense? Idealistic me was instantly mesmerized by the work and its likely impact. Never? Continue reading…
Summer Book Review #26: Smart Women Embrace Transitions
A red-haired expatriate hippie with a beard and a business suit sat on the floor across from me in a Japanese restaurant in the middle of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Think Jerry Garcia meets Howdy Doody. Lincoln, a former Peace Corps volunteer, was regaling myself and a friend with stories of his escapades in Latin America. I vaguely remember him talking about starting a business importing condoms. He was concerned about the quality of those available in country. It was unclear if his interest was driven by humanitarian or by personal reasons. Continue reading…
Summer Book Review #25: Meeting at the Crossroads
“I can’t say anything,” said a long-time friend as she shared with me her opinion of a decision facing a mutual friend of ours. She was catching me up on the news of this friend whom she sees regularly. Her silence was triggered by an issue related to a child. The child’s parents disagreed on an educational decision. You couldn’t possibly say anything? I was stunned. Shouldn’t she offer a perspective or talk our friend through some options? I realize that I’m more confrontational than most…but silence? Really? Continue reading…
Summer Book Review #24: Smart Women Don’t Retire They Break Free
‘It’s not easy to think about what I really want….for as long as I can remember it’s been achieve, achieve, achieve,’ I said to a friend of mine who joined me for lunch early in my transition. The concept piqued her interest. It engaged her. She’s a financial services entrepreneur. Her dream had been fashion design. And yet she found finance and accounting. A detour? A revelation? A necessity? Continue reading…
Summer Book Review #23: Odd Girl Out
“I couldn’t get a job,” said my sister-in-law as she was relating her story to a sympathetic audience at a recent family event. She sent out resumes. She interviewed. It didn’t go as she’d planned. Road block. Full stop. Continue reading…
Summer Book Review #18: Dancing on the Glass Ceiling…
I got a terrible feeling as I extended my hand to introduce myself. We were meeting at a hotel restaurant for breakfast. It was St. Louis or Atlanta. I can’t remember which. I was screening him for a senior role on my team during my tenure at a large IT outsourcing company. I had been coached not to make instant decisions about candidates. We chatted. ‘Let the data make the decision,’ I kept repeating to myself. For some reason I was glad we were in a crowded hotel lobby. I couldn’t put my finger on this feeling I had. Ever been there? Continue reading…
Transition through a techie lens
What’s your take on social media? Earlier today I experienced social media deja vu for the first time. Who knew? A friend tagged a Forbes.com post on LinkedIn entitled,“The Six Enemies of Greatness (and Happiness)” by blogger Jessica Hagy. The caption included a few little drawings.
The Six Enemies of Greatness ( and Happiness) by Jessica Hagy, Forbes.com 2/28/12
The drawings looked and felt like the illustrations that I’d been seeing all week in “The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization by Peter Senge.” What can I say, the drawings spoke to me…. Continue reading…