We were in a meeting a few weeks ago with a CEO who was describing a major rift in her executive leadership team. In that conversation, she explained how there was a breakdown in the working relationship between two subgroups of her team, and went on to say that one of the members could sometimes have a sharp edge, which “was probably the issue.” She asked us if we would work with the members of her team to help them…
If you’ve been a part of our community for a while, you know that we think a lot about the ways we can support you to move forward on the things that are important to you, bring you meaning, and create the future that you long for. Sometimes, those words can sound like the phrases on the magazines calling out to you from the local newsstand: “Be happy now!”, “Create the life you love!”, or “10 steps to living with…
For those of you who don’t know this, Memorial Day is described online in this way: In years since World War I, the day has become a celebration of honor for those who died in all America’s wars, as well as those who are Veterans and current members of the U.S. military. In the U.S., regardless of your politics, most Americans have compassion and appreciation for the men and women of our country in uniform. We use words like “He’s…
Most of us can recall an event in our life that shaped us—something that if asked about you could say, “Before the event I was that way, and after the event I’m this way.” Most of these before and after scenarios weren’t necessarily by choice. It usually takes something pretty big for people to be moved from one state of being to another. In fact, most people have a before/after that is related to something where they had little…
There’s a lot written on following your passion in work and life. Yet, unfocused passion won’t get you where you want to go. Think for a moment about the things you’re passionate about. Recently, when we asked several clients about their passion, they listed a wide range of things, including great food, dance, the qualities of good coffee, cheese, wine, etc. When we work with clients to define their purpose, it’s often a compelling and active list. Purpose…
This week, we got a call from a client who asked to meet immediately. He came into the office and said he was “freaked out” after a meeting with a key client. He explained that, as a consultant himself, he’d gone to meet with a client—an important and quite large corporate client—and the COO had implied there were concerns about a project he’d worked on for the company. He said that he’d been professional and open in the conversation, but…
As executive coaches, we often work with teams to help move an organization forward. Recently, in one of those team meetings, someone reported out about an activity that was taking 10-15 hours a week to complete, and bemoaned that the employee responsible for it simply didn’t have time for it anymore. People grumbled a little to hear that the employee was not keeping up with the activity, and then began to discuss who they could get to complete the activity…
Finding a good job takes time—but also an emotional investment. After an interview goes well, you usually get psyched up and imagine yourself being offered the position. But not everyone gets the job. The sad truth is that good candidates can get passed over. Sometimes you come really close… but ultimately the position goes to the other person. The process by which employers choose employees can leave us feeling confused and, when we aren’t hired, doubting our worth, our value,…
Over the past few years, one of our great privileges is running small groups for women in the process of claiming their power. Taking small steps consistently over time, these women make major changes in their lives and their world. This week, in one of these groups, one of the women talked about the surprising twists of this last year and seemed to almost feel apologetic for how difficult her life has been. Quite often, we see our clients…
One of the hardest things about being human is that sometimes life hits us with very powerful and very painful experiences—emotions that we can’t just ignore. Emotional pain is one of the great disrupters in life and in the workplace. Good leaders don’t ignore pain, but they don’t succumb to it either: they lead through it and they find ways to help others do the same. When confronted with pain, a good leader will acknowledge it and then determine the…
We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with leaders, teams, and individuals who are passionate about growing in their leadership and in their ability to create cultures of psychological safety and engagement.
Carpenter Smith Consulting is a Women Business Enterprise, Oregon Cert ID 7047.
