Karen’s Articles
Keith’s Brilliance
Last year I was working with a senior leader, Keith, and he turned to me and said, "Trust the people. Trust the process. Trust the outcomes." Wow! And do you?
How to Make Your Boss Look Good and Yourself Look Amazing in the Process: Part II
This is Part II of the series I promised you. Last week I shared some of my thoughts on supporting your boss and being a dream employee. Here are some more universal truths: Offer solutions, not problems. My first boss after college, Fred Pfannenstiehl, taught me a...
How to Make Your Boss Look Good and Yourself Look Amazing in the Process
I am fortunate that this blog is read by employees and leaders in a myriad of industries, states, and positions. There are so many differences in terms of what is important across industries, yet there are some universal truths. Here are a few; I’ll share more in the...
Selfie Sticks and Twiddlesticks
You don’t have to be funny to find humor. Just like you don’t have to be athletic to get exercise. Trust me on this, I know. For most of us, work is a serious place. We go to work and we have a job to do. But does it have to be so serious, and might we do better work...
Caution: This Isn’t Work-Related
Usually my blogs focus on the workplace, yet this time I’m going to stray. At the beginning of the summer, I received an email from a young man named Morgan, and he wrote: “For my sister's 20th birthday my mom made her something called The Book of Wise Women,...
Vixen on Competence, on Collaboration, on Caring, and on Blixem
‘Twas a week before Christmas When all through the team Every creature was stirring Five via live stream. Work products were finished By the employees with care In hopes that St. Nicholas Soon would be there. The colleagues were dressed In their finest new...
Long Distance Phone Calls and Leading Effectively
Leaders are most effective when they talk privately and directly, and when they cite specifics. Let me explain. Many years ago (and I do mean many years ago), I worked for a large national bank in their employee development department. My manager, Mary, was one of my...
Low Battery, Low Performance, and the Maccabees
Tonight is the fifth night of Hanukkah. It’s a celebration of the Maccabees’ victory over a tyrant king in Damascus. The story, retold for 2,200 years or so, is that the Maccabees fought for their freedom for three years. When they won, they wished to rededicate their...
What If Tomorrow It Is Gone?
Years ago at a presentations skills program I attended, my mentor, Glenna Salsbury, instructed us to do the “What If Tomorrow It Is Gone” exercise. The exercise is rather simple: “What if you woke up tomorrow and everything you failed to be grateful for today was...
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