Proving Your Worth. Ignore That Voice In Your Head.

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on proving your worth the image shows a young male holding out his hands to signify stop

Entering a new role comes with its share of challenges, particularly the pressure of “proving your worth.” As an executive leadership coach, I often hear from my clients who are starting a new role they feel pressure to rush in and make sweeping changes. But I strongly caution against doing that. Ignore that voice in…

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Time Span: ONE Powerful Way to Stand Out as a Leader

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on time span in leadership strategy the image shows a female executive standing talking to a team

As a leader, are you considering your time span effectively? Recently, I was reading an article about how our brains tend to focus on the near future, instead of encouraging us to look farther into the future and plan for that. As you climb the ladder from manager to executive levels, the more the organization…

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The Most Underrated Leadership Tool

In the realm of leadership, there’s a powerful yet underrated tool that often goes overlooked: the breath. Recently, while listening to a podcast featuring Jennifer Garvey Berger, she made a profound statement: “Breath is the most underrated leadership tool in the world.” This struck a chord with me because it’s true – the breath serves…

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Please, No More Imposter Syndrome 

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on imposter syndrome the image shows a man holding a fake mustache to his lip and wearing dark sunglasses.

Do you feel like you are an imposter? Probably, because I hear it often in my executive coaching practice. It’s common for my leadership clients to question their abilities and describe themselves as feeling like imposters in their roles. But did you know that the term ‘imposter syndrome’ is a pet peeve of mine? I…

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The Healing Power in Saying “I’m Sorry”

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on the healing power of I'm sorry the image shows a man looking down and sad.

There is healing power in saying “I’m sorry.” When we are apologizing, we may say “I accept responsibility” and express ownership of our actions but often there is a reluctance to directly say the words, “I’m sorry.” In a recent conversation with one of my executive leadership coaching clients, I encouraged them to consider the…

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Feedback is a Gift. But Is It One You Want? 

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on feedback as a gift the image shows a hand offering a drawing of a smiley face icon.

Feedback is a gift. But is it though? And is it the gift you wanted? I was facilitating a team training recently where we discussed this concept and someone came up with an analogy that I had to share. Imagine feedback as a present. Some presents are a perfect fit, it’s the gift you were…

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ONE Thing You Should Know When Making a Choice

In a recent conversation with fellow executive coaches and consultants about decision-making criteria, someone shared a gem that I had to share. They said: “The experience of moving forward matters more than the choice.” This wise statement made me stop and say, “OMG, I HAVE to write that down!” For those caught in decision-making loops,…

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Have You Done Your Personal SWOT Analysis for 2024?

By now your function or group at work has probably finished its strategic plan and 2024 forecast. What about your own future? How far out are you thinking about your life, trends in your industry, and what might be around the corner? The Institute For The Future found that more than a quarter of Americans say that they rarely…

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How to Be a Great Referral Source

Do you consider yourself to be a good referral source? After I received a great referral from someone recently, it made me reflect on how people appreciate connectors; the ones who know the things that we need, people who are the referral source for us, who reach all the best people. Finding the right recommendation…

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Tough Questions: Go Ahead and Ask Them 

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on asking tough questions the image shows two women sitting across the table from someone else engaged in a deep discussion.

Asking tough questions is not easy. When working with teams, one of the most important things to do is to open up a discussion where everyone’s voice is heard and make sure that everyone weighs in. This often means delving into uncomfortable territories or posing tough questions. Oftentimes when this happens, someone will say something…

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