Posts by Jo Ilfeld, PhD
Is It Time to Reevaluate Your Context?
Have you found yourself doing something without knowing why you’re doing it? Are you finding that the things that were important to you, no longer seem to have meaning? Recently I had a thought-provoking conversation with a fellow coach about how easily the context of our actions can shift without us even noticing. As circumstances…
Read MoreAuthenticity at Work: Shifting Behaviors without Compromising Values
Have you ever received feedback in a performance review suggesting you make changes to your behavior that made you question your authenticity? How can you adapt your behaviors without feeling inauthentic? During a conversation with a client, we explored the transformative changes she made based on a 360 performance evaluation. While the changes she had…
Read MoreHow Much is Workplace Autonomy Worth to You? Navigating Return-to-Work Policies
“When do YOU get to take a summer break?” my just-out-of-school daughter asked me the other day as I was chauffeuring her to meet friends. At first, I was confused because I have two trips planned this summer, one with just the two of us before she goes off to camp and another family vacation.…
Read MoreHow To Help Yourself When You Can’t Help Others
Have you ever had someone come to you for your help, and you really wanted to but weren’t sure how? It can be challenging when you genuinely want to lend a hand but realize you’re not in a position to do so. It can weigh on you. So how can you look at things in…
Read MoreForget Resilience – Look for Anti-Fragility
Here’s a new take on resilience. Credit to Stephanie Mehta for this one, who inspired this learning snack with her recent talk at the California Conference for Women. In the scientific field, resilience means when something gets pushed or changed, the material bounces back to what it was. In other words, resilience is when something…
Read MoreHybrid Work: Are We Doing It Wrong?
I was recently talking with a client about hybrid work initiatives and how to get people back in the office and how companies are really coming down on different sides of this. As the business world embraces hybrid work models, finding the right balance between in-office and remote work becomes crucial. Bringing employees back to…
Read MoreTrying Asking for Advice – Not Giving It
Have you ever found wanted to give advice to someone at work? Well, there’s a way to do it right. I recently came across a fascinating book by Katie Milkman called “How to Change.” In it, she explores the impact of advice-giving on our behavior. I think we all intuitively know this but she has…
Read MoreHow To Continue to Build Your Leadership Intelligence
This article originally appeared in Forbes I teach leadership intelligence in an executive MBA program. Every year as I say goodbye to another cohort of graduating eMBAs there is still so much I wish I could have taught them. The truth is that if you’re growing and shifting throughout your career, your leadership intelligence is…
Read MorePost-Mother’s Day Tribute
How can we be present for our employees without micromanaging them? In honor of Mother’s Day this month, I was talking with three clients, all three of them mothers and they were striving to support their almost-adult children, keep track and be helpful, notice when things are going wrong, but not fall into the trap…
Read MoreThe Groan Zone in Meetings: Why It’s a Good Thing
Have you ever found yourself in a meeting that seems to never end? You could have fallen into the groan zone. But don’t worry – that’s a good place to be. You know those meetings where people keep talking about the same thing over and over again, and everyone is struggling to come to an…
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