Getting sideswiped
Have you ever diligently worked toward a change or something new for months and thought to yourself, ‘I am killing it’? You've tested, you've trained, and you've clearly communicated. Overall, you've checked all the boxes. Right before it's time to release your...
Keeping Distracted and Super Busy Team Members Engaged
In an ideal world, we’d wake up every day feeling energized and ready to conquer the day’s challenges. Our to-do list would consist of fulfilling, impactful tasks that hit organizational targets and allow us to grow as individuals. But in practice, the items on our...
Empowering Your Employees to Become Better Problem-Solvers
For many things, there is no one answer. There is no clear guidance about what steps to take. We have to think through what we're experiencing and then lay out a path to resolution. Determining a path forward makes some people uncomfortable. They want to treat it like...
Work Environments That Can Destroy Teams
Have you ever been on a team of self-driven, motivated, tenacious people? A team where it seems like everyone comes to work prepared to take on whatever the charge is? A team where people are confident in themselves and trust the motives of their co-workers? A team...
How I Landed My First Job on An Airplane
It was February 1996, and I was serving on the National Board of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). I was a senior civil engineering student at Georgia Tech. Several NSBE regional conferences were taking place, and I thought I should show my support at...
Is It Really Imposter Syndrome or Something Else?
I don't propose to know much about imposter syndrome, and I've seen several takes on what it is and what it is not. So, rather than trying to insert my thoughts into something that I am not an expert on, I’m going to name my own syndrome. It's called ‘People aren't...
Honesty is always the best policy
I am not smart enough to tell different versions of a story to different people and keep them straight, and neither or you. You might think you are, but people notice. I hate when I realize that someone is giving me a new and different version of something they've...
Keeping Our Focus on The Main Thing
I always have a long to-do list. I imagine you do, too. I have a long list for home, my kids, for nonprofits I support, for building my business, for supporting each customer, etc. So even though I give the advice, focus on the main thing. I often get irritated with...
2 Years on the Virtual Lam
In January 2020, I hosted an in-person class. It was a Lean Six Sigma Basics class for a group of young professionals on a rotational program within a company, and I had a great time. Most of the attendees were new college graduates and they were excited to travel to...