From the hundreds of mentoring partnerships I’ve witnessed in programs ranging from the tech industry to education to triathlon to government to community development, the single biggest factor in relationship breakdown is unclear expectations and lack of alignment on how to carry out the relationship. Same is true for informal, naturally occurring...

When asked to reflect on relationships that have made a difference in their lives, many people think about their mentoring relationships. However, like other work and personal relationships, mentoring relationships fall along a continuum ranging from high quality to dysfunctional. Research has shown that one determining attribute of high quality me...

Even though the world of work has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades, where long tenure and single careers have almost become a thing of the past, many people still hold the perspective that there’s one path they ‘should’ be taking. That once they find their one true calling, fulfillment and prosperity will follow. I agree that wh...

You may be familiar with the term ‘the zone’ and ‘being in the zone.’ The zone, also referred to as flow, is a desirable state that fuels peak performance and lasting intrinsic motivation.

What’s possible in ‘the zone’?

When you are in the zone you are taking on something bigger that aligns with your passions and purpose. Steven Kotler, in his bo...

Bobby McGee is one of the world’s greatest distance coaches. In his book, “Magical Running”  he focuses on the mental and spiritual aspects of peak performance, not just the itty-bitty details such as training plans, biomechanics and form. Of course these details matter, however, McGee believes that focusing on the journey of training and preparati...

What is so fearful about saying “I don’t know”? Who made up the rule that we have to know all the time? That there is something wrong if we don’t know?

No such rule exists. In fact, the more we can slow down and be ok with ‘not knowing’, the better ideas we’ll have and the greater progress we will make more quickly.

Consider these three approache...

I’m running the Boston Marathon on April 18th for the first time. I’m very excited. It’s been a really big goal for me since my first marathon in 1995. Since then I have run 15 more marathons in my effort to qualify to run Boston. For those of you not in the running community, Boston is the premiere marathon. Every marathoner I know wants to run Bo...

There are many different types of coaching – leadership, team, executive, organizational, wellness, life, sports – to name a few. Coaching exists along a spectrum from being more supportive at one end (think life coaching) to directive at the other end (think sports coaching). At the core they are all the same – helping people get clear about what ...

Today I finished first in my age group in a 5k running race. Today I beat the woman who was holding first place by 37 seconds. Today I got a red first place ribbon – my first ever!! Today I am a winner!! Yay for me!!

And yay to all the other runners who were out there today from age 10  to 80+. They are all winners because they showed up and did t...

Everything I’ve read or heard about having a blog says make sure to write regularly or else it’s better not to have one. If you want people to pay attention to your blog you have to provide something for them to pay attention to on a regular basis.

OK. That makes sense. I get it. And I notice that my last entry was 5 months ago. And the previous o...