In Paris, the city I call home🗼, I’ve had the pleasure to spend a few days with my visiting brother, his wife, and their 5-year-old super-observant son. During our leisurely strolls, my usually bubbly nephew would occasionally have a mini outburst at his folks. Little feet stomping. Voice pitching higher. And it wasn’t about wanting … Read More
soft skills
I murdered my grandmother this morning
I have a story for you today. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt was tired of all the small talk and flattering comments he received from White House guests during reception parties. He decided that the guests were never really listening to what he was saying. One day at a reception he decided to try a … Read More
Emotional Intelligence: How to Feel Calm Under Pressure and Show Leadership Presence
“What can trigger you to have a bad day?“ That’s the question I asked the participants of Elevate, the high impact leadership development programme for women. The training session was on Emotional Intelligence, a key leadership skill. “Stress with my kids,” replied one woman. “People. A bad interaction with someone,” said another lady. “My emotions,” … Read More
8 Ways To Manage Your Boss
If you went to one of my workshops or were part of the group coaching assignments I led, you already heard me speak about the importance of building a healthy positive relationship with one’s boss. There are certain basic skills that everyone should be given access to, in order to succeed in and enjoy their professional life. … Read More
How To Be A Great Manager
A day after Saint Valentin, the day that celebrates romantic love, I feel inspired to talk about our need to feel supported and nurtured at work. Given that we spend the mind-blowing 23 percent or more of our total lifetime working, it’s only normal that we want a tiny dose of that fuzzy special feeling that we automatically expect from … Read More
Get in the driver’s seat of your career!
(First published in the international women’s business magazine, BusinessOFeminin.) How are you feeling about your current job? Let me guess. The chances are you are not very satisfied. If so, you are not alone. Studies show that up to 75% of employees globally feel unhappy at work. At a time of high unemployment and lacklustre … Read More
Feeling stressed? Do something different!
When Claire put down the phone, she was hyper-ventilating. Her heart was racing. It was 3pm on the last work day before the Christmas holidays and she just learned that one of the managers had not finished the report that was due by tonight and was leaving early to attend to her sick child. Claire … Read More
Gratitude + Low Expectations = Happiness
We all have challenges and issues in our lives to resolve. A difficult colleague at work, a fight with a significant other, there is often a source of stress and frustration. Thinking about those things adds to our stress levels and makes us feel anxious. What if we focused on what’s going right in our … Read More
Assertiveness: do you speak up?
“I spoke up about the issue!” my client Julie looked radiant. She shared that she had raised her long-standing concerns about how a large-scaled project was being managed to the top management of her company. The issue had bothered her for a long time and she’d been speaking about it to everyone but… her bosses. … Read More
Eight lessons from Deauville
1300 business women gathered earlier this month in Deauville for the ninth Women’s Forum. The sun was shining on the sea, the champagne was glittering in flute glasses, and the participants who came from around the globe exchanged, debated and networked in powerful ways. What did we learn? What beliefs were confirmed? What myths were … Read More