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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Make Your Business Travel Count

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on business travel the image shows a man in a suit checking into a hotel.

Business travel is back on, even if it’s not as routine as it was pre-2020. In a recent discussion with executive team members located across the country in various locations, we talked about the value of strategic thinking when on business trips. If you’re already taking the time away from your family and your current…

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Mastering the Art of Apology

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on the art of apology the image shows a man sheepishly holding up a sign saying "I'm Sorry"

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you realized you’ve made a mistake and hurriedly rushed to apologize, only to sense something wasn’t quite right? You’re not alone. Recently, I’ve been working on an article on what to do when you mess up and in the process, dived into the nuances of apologies…

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Are You Stuck in the Holiday Messy Middle?

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on the end of year at work the image shows a set of two arrows going in two directions

Between now and the end of the year, we are in that slog between Thanksgiving and New Year’s where everyone is either gearing up to close the year strong or starting to check out mentally. Depending on your industry, you might be wrapping up projects and tasks, or going into overdrive to close sales, meet…

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Do You Know Why You’re Doing That?

Spending part of the summer in Carmel has become a significant ‘Why” for me. It started during the pandemic. I realized how meaningful it was for me to have a couple of summer weeks where I take daily walks on the beach with my pups, enjoy some amazing California cuisine, and experience the slower pace…

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5 Tips For Better Collaboration

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on collaboration the image shows a group of business people holding hands in line.

Effective collaboration is not as easy as you might think. This year I had the benefit of having several lovely collaborations as well as working with several different teams on their collaborations. I thought I would just sum up some of this wisdom for you in no particular order. What I learned about good collaboration this year:…

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Are You Feeling Unappreciated At Work?

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on feeling unappreciated the image shows a disillusioned woman staring at her computer screen.

Do you ever find yourself feeling unappreciated at work? In a recent conversation with a client, we celebrated her business’s remarkable growth, the accomplishments of her team, and the successful implementation of numerous Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that were absent just a few years ago. As we talked, we discussed how important it is not…

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Mastering the Art of Effective Feedback: The SBI Technique

For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on feedback the image shows a man talking to another male across a desk with a laptop in between them.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed to provide feedback to a colleague but struggled with how to formulate it? My executive coaching clients often express to me how giving feedback can be challenging. This is also a topic that frequently arises in my teaching and workshops, particularly those centered around…

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