Morgan, an experienced VP of Marketing, contacted me because she wanted to go further faster. Her boss gave her very positive performance reviews for her marketing and brand building abilities. But that’s where she stopped short.

Morgan’s peers considered her a masterful marketing adviser. But she had very few internal champions. Peers told me “Morgan always wants to have the last word. And if that means interrupting me when I’m sharing my ideas, she will do it.” This incessant need was holding her back….

Arriving at the gigantic, empty mall parking lot felt unsettling and unfamiliar.

Yet I knew the day ahead would get me grounded in the Loudoun County COVID POD (Point of Distribution) process, and the power of community service during a crisis.

This is how my adventures as a novice Volunteer Medical Corps (VMC) member began. One week ago, I reported for my first day of work at the POD.

The experience wasn’t just inspiring….

Do you ever feel like you need to “check your true self at the door” before you arrive at work? Do you put on a crappy happy face for your marketing teams? Thankfully, it is possible to overcome those feelings and do your best work.

It’s estimated that 35% of the world’s top 10,000 companies waste nearly 40% of their daily routines on bureaucracy, bad excuses, red tape, and — my favorite– hanging out with “zombies.”

Common sense needs a comeback and we need to remove those zombies.

When I work with marketing leaders and C-Suite executives during a workshop, keynote, or coaching session, I often describe what happens when you let these “zombies” – projects that nobody is willing to kill off – just roam the halls, eating up valuable time and resources….

Here in the United States, we gather on February 7 for Super Bowl LV.

Bah, humbug.

If I haven’t upset you yet, keep reading.

I never use male sports metaphors to tell stories because I simply do not understand the rules–and have too many other hobbies to invest time to learn them.

For today, I’ll break my own rules by sharing an attention-grabbing story about one of my fellow 100 Coaches members, Curtis Martin.

Curtis, an NFL Hall of Famer and top running back, once reveled in the “work hard, play hard” lifestyle….

As we enter the holiday weeks ahead, we might be anticipating some difficult discussions with loved ones, over-packed Zoom meetings and multiple (physically distanced) gatherings. This has been a politically and socially charged year, to say the least.

That’s why I was happy to spend time with Ben Wolf on “The Win Win” podcast to discuss very tangible methods to apply mindfulness in our daily interactions.

Here are some of the highlights:

05:30 –…

If there is such a thing as a silver lining with COVID, it’s this: the pandemic has created existential crisis for organizations.

Their raison d’etre is being challenged, and may even be falling on deaf ears. Tradition is no longer a valid criteria for investing in a market or for growth mapping.

And in some cases, tradition is more of a hindrance than a help. It may no longer valued–Just ask your customers and your most disengaged employees….

Last April, I received a surprise phone call:

“COVID has been a real wake-up call for me. I don’t know why I’m working this hard and building my company. I have a family member who needs me more than my employees and clients need me. We need to spend more time together. I’m going to keep a few clients, lay off my team, and shut down the office in Atlanta.”

The pandemic suddenly pushed this client to re-think their purpose….