Respect is necessary to enable trust and high performance.
Why are some people confident and others aren’t? Research shows that attachment style and confidence are closely related. Attachment style is the way you connect with others and your ability to build trusting relatinships. Attachment style develops early, shaped by how consistently and safely your caregivers responded to your needs. Over time, those patterns become internalized as your “relational blueprint.” As it turns out, how you form relationships with others has a powerful influence on confidence Three Attachment Styles and…
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Leaders who use practical, tactical empathy skills know that it unlocks people’s inner drive to succeed. Key Takeaways: Empathy Skills That Boost Performance Most leaders know empathy matters, but few connect empathy skills directly to performance. The truth is, when people feel respected, valued, and supported, they work harder and smarter. Empathy isn’t some soft skill or nice to have—it’s an essential performance driver. These five practical and tactical empathy skills help build trust, create psychological safety, and unlock better…
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Everyone wants influence at work, whether it’s with their boss, their team, or colleagues across the organization. The question is: what’s the best way to earn it? Influence is a subtle art. Sometimes even when you have the best advice, pushing too hard can backfire. In this post, I’ll explain what influence really is, how it works, and why it so often goes wrong. What Influence Is Influence at work is about advocating for an idea—not issuing a command. Many…
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Validation in leadership is an often overlooked skill that builds trust and performance. Key Takeaways Validation at work is one of the deepest human needs—and one of the most overlooked leadership skills. Nothing motivates people more than feeling seen, heard, and valued. When managers learn to validate their team members’ feelings and experiences, they unlock hidden potential for trust, learning, and motivation. Validation isn’t just “being nice.” It’s a powerful, practical tool for leading people. Used well, it can transform…
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If you’ve ever walked out of a meeting thinking, “Why am I doing all the thinking?” the GOOD model of conversation is for you. It’s a four-step coaching approach—Goals, Options, Obstacles, Do—that turns managers into coaches. When someone asks for advice, it’s tempting to tell them what to do. However, telling people what they should do is micromanaging and judgmental. Instead, the GOOD model offers an easy way to take a coaching approach, using questions to guide them forward. Why…
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Nearly all of my clients want to appear more confident and speak with authority. Some want to look more confident; others want to feel more confident. These goals aren’t the same—but both are achievable. Key Takeaways Leadership Presence vs. Real Confidence: Why Appearance Isn’t Enough “Leadership presence” is a catchall term for behaviors leaders commonly exhibit. However, real confidence is more than a set of behaviors that you exhibit. It’s about being able to respond authentically in the moment, without…
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