Jackhammers and Hummingbirds represent different and valuable ways of approaching the world. For years, I dreaded career conversations and personal development plans. I always felt like the only one who didn't know what I wanted to do when I "grew up," so I'd offer some half hearted plan about wanting my boss' job- mostly because I sensed that was what I was supposed to want. It never landed well for anyone, including me. Then one day, on a walk with a podcast in my ears, I s

Years ago at Google, I came across Project Aristotle, their deep dive into what makes teams high performing. The finding surprised almost no one and helped almost everyone: the highest performing teams have strong psychological safety. Translation: they trusted each other. I thought about that recently in a session with a founder client. He's building a company and, for the first time, a culture from zero. Trust came up while he was negotiating terms with his cofounder, and t

Org charts can be negotiated. I keep seeing the same pattern with my highest achieving clients: the ones who come out of a reorg or a leadership change stronger than before are never the ones who wait to see what happens to them. They're the ones who get in front of it, prepared, clear eyed, and willing to have the conversation before the decision is made. Last week was a perfect example of it in action. One of my clients, a well respected leader in the AI space who'd recentl

A guided visualization to zoom out and get clear on the values that guide your decision making in career and life.

Leaders Multiply the Impact and Innovation of their Team working alongside AI. Middle management bloat is real. Even some of the biggest tech companies are among the worst offenders. But a recent article calling for the elimination of all middle managers made me stop and think. That's not a talent strategy, it's a misunderstanding of what good leadership actually does. If managers were robots overseeing robots, maybe it would make sense. But great managers aren't inbox-cl

Add in some fun at work. Nurturing a safe (and sometimes silly) team is what allows people to think more openly, take appropriate risks, and generate creative solutions.

Sharing my story on stage helped me remember that imperfections aren't liabilities but the very things that make us connectable as leaders and as humans.

Why Tilt365 is my tool of choice for leadership assessments.

My Last Day at Google, June 2023 This one is inspired by someone I deeply admired as a leader at Google, Shankar Desai. I recently reposted his top 5 things he’d do differently if he was still an executive at Google. It reminded me that I made a deck (yes- habits die hard!) with 13 lessons from 13 years at Google just after I left. I am challenging myself to post 1 per week for the next 13 weeks on Linkedin- but here is the full download for those that like to move quicker

Don't wait- Write your own story Two clients got promoted this week, which reminded me of my spectacularly awkward journey to management. Picture this: A year out of business school, I happened upon my resume from my first job with the hiring executive's feedback scrawled across the top: "Smart and Cheap." Nothing says "executive potential" quite like being someone's budget hire at under $40K, right? But hey, I was learning! Unfortunately, I was also developing some career-li

LEAD Celebration 2024 I’m still feeling inspired from our 2024 LEAD graduation celebration this week. It was a beautiful moment to reflect on the amazing work these women have done and to celebrate the leaders they’ve become. After working on storytelling in Summit #3, we had the incredible honour of hearing five women share their leadership origin stories. They were brave, resilient, vulnerable, and eloquent. I was blown away. Each story had a pivotal moment that shaped how

Navigating Breast Cancer, a Summer of Chemotherapy- the tough and the joy.

Lessons from a Google Leadership Workshop

As a Marketing leader, I often started my day with 50+ unread emails in my inbox (The email struggle is real!). One specific day started with a product manager from Europe shooting me a late-night message, seeking more intel about a marketing campaign. I responded swiftly, providing some initial information and a friendly reminder about an upcoming live session. And with that, I continued with my day. However, a few hours later, an email from a senior leader, conveniently on

This week, I had the privilege of participating in a leadership summit alongside 31 remarkable female tech leaders. The experience was truly inspiring, as I found myself in a room filled with exceptional, diverse, and passionate women. The palpable support and energy in the room left me with a profound sense of hope for the future of leadership in our boardrooms. This summit, the second of its kind, centered on cultivating a distinct leadership voice and style. I left the eve