My 100th Post

Wow, I can’t believe it’s a 100 already! Thank you for all your positive feedback, and I truly hope these posts have been helpful, reassuring, and “one more point of view” that helps.

Every day I learn something that inspires me, depresses me, humbles me, and motivates me.

Here’s to the journey.

Could You Wear the Same Thing Every Day?

I have always said to people that if they issued a uniform at my place of work, I’d be ecstatic.

In the absence of that, I have my own version of wearing a uniform: skirts, crewneck sweaters, twinsets, and a necklace. In colors that mix and match.  I have a uniform for weekends too: dark denim, turtlenecks, a jacket. It’s just easier. If they had Giranimals for adults, I’d sign up. Continue reading →

2. Say Thank You (more)

Whenever I talk about my lessons learned, people always pick this one as one of their “so obvious, but we don’t do this” lessons.

Guilty. I don’t do this enough either. And I am always humbled by people taking the time to thank me for meeting with them, or holding a lunch and learn session…the heartfelt emails are terrific.

But what I save are the little handwritten notes. Because I know they went home and got out their stationery, and took the time to write something, and mail it back to me.  These notes strike a chord in me: of a time when letters were the norm, not the exception, and what it means to have something that is more than just a quickly typed up message. There is something about the process of handwriting something that is so much more personal and authentic.

There are lots of ways to say thank you…and all of them are good. Some stay with you longer than you think.

28. Inspect vs Expect…or “in God we trust, all else we review”.

This is a tough skill to master, but absolutely critical. This is figuring out the right balance between “inspecting” vs “expecting”. It’s knowing when you need to ask the questions, and when you don’t. It’s giving people enough latitude without micromanaging, but not so much latitude that you’re an absentee manager. Continue reading →