I’m not a golfer, though I have golf clubs that I bought 20+ years ago, have played a few rounds of golf, and taken a few lessons.  I grew up in a family that golfs, and my husband and son golf, so I’ve considered whether I should start getting more comfortable with the sport so I can go out periodically and enjoy the experience.  

This winter, my husband shared a flyer for a 6-week women’s golf clinic at a course less than 10 minutes away from home. It felt like a sign that I should give it a try…

I like to say I prefer easy things. But if you looked at my choices from the outside, you might question that.

By many standards, those weren’t “easy” decisions.

But for me, I loved the challenge of seeing if I could do them. I always said I wasn’t a marathon person — not enough time, not enough capability. But then I saw people decades older than me running them. Cancer survivors. Parents with intense work schedules. And I asked: If they can do it, why can’t I?

Several years ago, many of my April posts celebrated it as the month of hope. I realized this week — I haven’t talked about it at all this month.

I’m not sure if it’s because things still feel heavy in the world around us — at the global and national levels — or if it’s just that I’ve been too busy to notice…

Today, I want to talk about a different kind of endurance—the one I’m building to become the healthiest physical version of myself.

When I talk about leadership endurance, I often come back to my I-CAN model: Intentions, Create the plan, Act on the plan, and Navigate when things need to shift.

This week was exciting because I was privileged to speak to over 450 people during EPAM’s Learning Week. What made it even better for me is that this initiative that I helped bring to life in North America in 2018 (or maybe 2019) is still going strong.

Probably not surprising to all of you as newsletter readers, but the topic was focused on endurance. Usually, I talk about leadership endurance, but this session was focused on career endurance…

Unfortunately, the short answer is that it depends.

Is your inner critic spotlighting factual errors you made or potential ones that you are ready to beat yourself up for?

I was thinking about this topic earlier this week, reflecting on several interactions…

When you meet new people, what do you say about yourself and the work you do professionally?

This topic has come up a few times this week, mainly focused on not being confident about how you wanted to or did show up in a new environment.

One situation…downplaying the description of the work, thinking maybe people didn’t really want to know what they did…

Sometimes, we can’t see what other people see. The easy way to fix that is to ask, “How am I perceived?” And, if you hear something that surprises you, dig in and understand better.

Knowing ourselves includes knowing how we’re perceived. These insights allow us to showcase some areas more or decide to tone down something else.

As they say, perception is reality. If we have an intention for how we want to show up, that’s half the battle. The rest is what actually happens based on our words and actions…

Earlier this week, I facilitated a small group session for one of my colleagues who was unexpectedly unable to lead her regular session.  

During the great discussion, one of the participants highlighted the need for a significant change in how they responded to customer concerns.  They wanted to do something different.  When I asked if she had any wild ideas she had already thought of.  She shared that she had had one for years but always sensed resistance to trying something new.

Today is the one day each year, we get to fully celebrate the women of this world and the impact we make on our families, our communities, and our workplaces. 

The challenge comes because the other 364 days are often filled with the need to prove ourselves as deserving of equitable treatment in all areas of our lives…