I was scrolling past yet another "here is how to prepare for #job #interviews article" hoping it would say something new. Of course it did the usual: polish your story, practice your examples, and yes, manage your appearance. And that got me thinking, in 2026, with all the talk about #skills-based hiring and remote #work, how much does "looking the part" still run the show? So I fell into the rabbit hole of lookism. What the Duck Is Lookism? Lookism is bias or discrimination

I have always disliked the word "weaknesses" in interview questions, feedback forms, and performance reviews. In my coaching work, I encourage people to discover and play from their strengths. That said, there is an uncomfortable truth we often skip. Every strength can become a pitfall if it is overused or left unmanaged. And that pitfall usually forms quietly. Strengths keep you contently in your comfort zone. You are good at something, so you keep doing it. Again and again.

January did not arrive gently! The world is loud, heavy, and relentless, and most teams are walking into 2026 with a low-grade sense of doom. So here is a slightly rebellious leadership idea: why not try to make work more fun? Not childish and definitely not forced. Not "everyone smile, we have pizza." Fun as a deliberate design choice that makes #work lighter, clearer, and more enjoyable. When Was the Last Time You Had Fun at Work? I'm not talking about the occasional team o

If you scroll long enough, you'd think the world of #work is only getting worse. But that's not entirely true. In 2025, some things genuinely moved in the right direction, and beyond that, there are quietly uplifting shifts taking place and real opportunities starting to form. That's why, in this two-part post, I'm choosing to focus on hope. Here's my take as we head into the new year. AI Is No Longer a Concept. It's a Working Tool. Stanford's 2025 #AI Index confirmed somethi

As the year wraps up and feeds start filling with retrospectives and predictions, I wanted to focus on hope. This is the first of a two-part post focused on positive news from the world of #work and #leadership. It's about amazing things from 2025 that you may have missed but are worth ending the year with, and it's a great reminder that, despite the noise, some things did move in the right direction. Shorter Workweeks Are Proving They Can Work One of the largest multi-countr

Regardless of whether you're a fan of the holidays or not, December has a certain atmosphere. People are stretched thin, juggling deadlines, pressure, family chaos, and the countdown to "finally switching off." You can almost feel the collective fatigue in every meeting. The year may be ending, but the race is not. And as a leader, you know that your team is running a marathon, not a sprint. So how do you send off your team for a break and make sure they come back feeling re-

Your team is dragging their feet... Meetings lack energy, initiative has slowed down, ideas are uninspired and everyone feels stuck in a rut. tIs this fatigue from too much work? Or is your team actually under-stimulated instead of overwhelmed? The 3 zones of effort The model is well-known, simple and every leader should be able to navigate their team through the zones efficiently. Comfort zone: Think of comfort as the soft landing. People feel safe, competent, steady. It is

For the first time, five generations overlap in the workforce, and this mix is only getting bigger and more complex. The older workforce has nearly quadrupled since the mid-80s and, with the retirement age consistently going up in most countries, people are staying employed for much longer. At the same time, Gen Z has already been entering the job market and will account for 30% of the workforce by 2030. Congratulations! You now lead the widest age spread in modern history. �

I once worked with an engineering team lead in a #tech scale-up who, after three successful years leading a team, decided to pivot back into a DevOps role. He cared deeply about his people, but he missed building things. The more his leadership responsibilities grew, the further he drifted from hands-on technical #work. And like many first-time leaders, he had no real mentorship or formal training - he was simply “the most senior engineer” and his still young start-up at the

Disclaimer: the purpose of this post is NOT to stress you out but to prepare you. You can keep reading, it's safe (and optimistic!) For...

By now, you’re probably sick of reading about AI. I am too. Most of the content about AI is either written by AI or written by someone trying to convince you it’s the second coming of electricity. Revolutionary as it is, I want to explore a slightly different angle and something far more personal: the moral choices leaders face when deciding where AI belongs in their day-to-day #work. AI is great at certain things. Summarizing a meeting transcript so you can focus on listenin

As I head off for a summer break, I'm taking a moment to reflect on a year in leadership that has been as rewarding as it has been challenging. It’s been a year of guiding teams, offering solutions, and being the steady presence everyone can count on. But in moments of quiet honesty, I'll admit there were times when my energy was completely gone. It's tempting to see this as a failure but, in reality, I was just feeling the emotional toll of constantly wearing the "leader mas

Amazon, Dell, JPMorgan Chase are only a few notable names with a strict RTO mandate in 2025. Companies around the globe are calling their...

Let’s talk about that unsettling feeling when you notice a team member who used to be a firecracker is now just… fizzling . They’re here,...

Have you ever been hiking with a group? If so, you probably know that one of the first rules of hiking is to only bring what you can...

A manager wears many hats - coach, mentor, expert - but one thing they aren’t is a mind reader. Even the best leaders can’t support you...

Emotional regulation is the ability to manage one’s emotions effectively - modulating their intensity, duration, and expression in a way...

In my 16 years in HR, I've participated and managed countless #performance cycles for multiple organizations of various sizes. But, I've...

As the year winds down, it’s time for my annual tradition: a cup of tea, some festive jazz music and a reflection on what helped me grow...

"Brain rot" is Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2024. But honestly, it’s been the unofficial slogan of repetitive, soul-crushing work for...