Posts by Jo Ilfeld, PhD
Do You Have an Agenda?
Have you ever gotten to a party and thought, “Huh, I don’t think this is what I expected?” This is exactly what happens when we show up at a meeting where there is no agenda. Your challenge this week is to review your meeting schedule. If there is a meeting on there that you don’t…
Read MoreTake Control of Your Schedule
Tell me the truth. Are you annoyed when someone is late for a zoom meeting or are you secretly thrilled that now you get a quiet few minutes to catch up on emails or finish up a project? If you’re like me and feel the latter, then it’s time for you to scratch at least…
Read MoreTime to Shake Things Up
How do you like to shake things up in your life? For a lot of us, whether it’s staying home during the pandemic, having no travel plans, we don’t have that excitement that we’re used to. I want you to challenge yourself this week to shake things up. Looking for ideas? Watch the video for…
Read MoreYou Have Too Many Meetings
You have too many meetings. It’s the simple truth. But as a leader, you need to set aside time weekly, if not daily for deep, strategic thought. After all, that’s why you are in the leadership role. Problem: How do you carve out the time for strategic thought when you are in meetings from early…
Read MoreWhat Does It Mean to Be a Good Boss?
Coaching my clients over the years, I have given much thought to what it means to be a good boss. In my opinion, the single most important thing that makes a good boss is to enable the success and growth of your direct reports. Watch the video for more.
Read MoreHow Do You Turn a Painful Sunburn into a Teaching Moment?
This week’s learning snack is inspired by my daughter’s unfortunate mishap. After she suffered a really nasty sunburn the other week, I took good care of her burn but at the same time I talked to her about how this painful incident will change how she thinks about sunscreen in the future. That instead of…
Read MoreFive Mistakes To Avoid With Partially Remote Employees: Lessons From Biotech
Article originally appeared in Forbes It’s time to return to the office. Or is it? How can newly hybrid companies best manage the divide between in-person and remote workers? Reaching out to biotech company CEOs, I learned crucial do’s and don’ts. When shelter-in-place hit the Bay Area, many biotech companies found themselves with most of…
Read MoreDo You Know the Difference between Impact and Intent?
We think we know the difference but often when apologizing for our actions or mistakes, we tend to emphasize intent over impact. When we do this, it ends up sounding like you are making excuses for yourself instead of taking responsibility for the impact you had on others. Watch this week’s learning snack to find…
Read MoreWhat Am I Reading this Summer?
Every few months someone asks me “When are you doing your newsletter on what you’re reading again? I use it to pick my next reads.” I’m honored that you want to know what I’m reading and enjoying. I’ve actually had a lot more time to read lately (thank you Covid?) but I have to confess,…
Read MoreTime to Rest and Time to Act
As we move into what we know as the summer break, I wanted to reach out to you with a few thoughts and resources as well as a wish for some true relaxing moments and unplugging from our incredibly “always on” virtual worlds. Take Anti-Racist Action I was on an amazing free webinar on “Whiteness…
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