Leadership Blog

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From Incite to Leadership founder and CEO Jo Ilfeld, read the latest on strategic vision, leading change amid complexity, and honing the way you communicate and collaborate with others. Get resources, practical strategies, research, and more.

How Can You Move the Needle on Things That Matter Most to You?

By Jo Ilfeld, PhD | August 22, 2023 |
For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on change the image shows a jigsaw puzzle piece with the word change written on it.

This article originally appeared in Forbes My client, Xander, decided to work out every morning to reach his fitness goals. But he was immediately faced with a problem. His European colleagues kept putting 7 am meetings onto his calendar (despite the fact he blocked it out), while Asia asked for 9 pm alignment meetings. Despite…

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Managing Workplace Outbursts: Is It a Draymond Green Moment?

By Jo Ilfeld, PhD | August 15, 2023 |
For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on workplace outbursts the image shows a basketball being shot into the net.

Are you a basketball fan? Even if you aren’t, I think you’ll find this helpful. Recently, I had an insightful conversation with a client about handling unexpected workplace outbursts in professional relationships. The client shared an experience concerning a colleague. Their professional relationship had been progressing well until an unexpected outburst changed the atmosphere. Although…

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Your Voice is Powerful. Use It! 

By Jo Ilfeld, PhD | August 8, 2023 |
For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on voice messages the image shows a woman using a megaphone.

Do you use voice messages? These days it is SO hard to find time to connect with people. Schedules never align. People are always in meetings. Yes, Slack and other messaging apps are convenient but there’s nothing like the power of your own voice to convey nuance and true meaning. And with platforms like WhatsApp, leaving…

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Are You an Active Participant in Meetings?

By Jo Ilfeld, PhD | July 26, 2023 |
For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on being an active participant in meetings the image shows a woman sitting in front of a team on Zoom with an engaged presence,

When you’re in a larger meeting, how much do you ask of yourself to be an active participant? I recently had the opportunity to present at two virtual conferences back-to-back. The contrast between the two experiences got me thinking about the power of being an active participant and how it can transform your meeting experience.…

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Is It Time to Reevaluate Your Context?

By Jo Ilfeld, PhD | July 19, 2023 |
For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on context and shifting priorities the image shows a woman sitting in front of a computer screen bored

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…

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Authenticity at Work: Shifting Behaviors without Compromising Values

By Jo Ilfeld, PhD | July 12, 2023 |
For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on workplace authenticity the image shows a sign post with two directional posts, one labeled Fake, the other Authentic.

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…

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How Much is Workplace Autonomy Worth to You? Navigating Return-to-Work Policies

By Jo Ilfeld, PhD | July 5, 2023 |
For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on workplace autonomy the image paper airplanes all going in the same direction, except for one veering off to the right.

“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.…

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How To Help Yourself When You Can’t Help Others

By Jo Ilfeld, PhD | June 29, 2023 |
For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on help yourself first the image shows a young Black woman smiling and looking in the mirror.

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…

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Forget Resilience – Look for Anti-Fragility

By Jo Ilfeld, PhD | June 22, 2023 |
For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on resilience the image shows a tiny shoot growing up between cracks in the concrete.

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…

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Hybrid Work: Are We Doing It Wrong?

By Jo Ilfeld, PhD | June 15, 2023 |
For this article by Jo Ilfeld, Executive Leadership Coach on hybrid work the image shows a business woman alone in her office in front of a large video screen showing a Zoom meeting

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…

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