Liz Trocchio Smith
Certified Executive Business Coach
and Trusted Advisor
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There’s that one person on your team — the bad apple who has nothing positive to say, riles up other team members, and makes work life miserable. If you can’t fire them, how do you respond to their behavior? What feedback do you give? How do you mitigate the damage they inflict? There’s a difference between a difficult employee and a toxic one, when they are toxic not only do they cause…
In honor of this Memorial Day, I thought it was appropriate to share Paul Harvey’s wonderful message. Thank you to all those that have sacrificed their lives, may they rest in peace, and to those that are currently serving our country and the sacrifices they are making. We truly appreciate what you do so that we can live in a free country! Enjoy, pass on, and God Bless America! Make it a great…
When you are in the company of great leaders, you want to be able to add value and be one of the group. Don’t feel like you don’t deserve to be there, or that you are out of your league. Pick up a few lessons and you will fit right in. Assemble the best team. Surround yourself with people that can compliment your strengths and help you with your weaknesses. Remember the most successful teams are…
Staying healthy and taking care of yourself should be your first priority as a leader. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of others. Here are a few tips on taking care of you! Exercise: Happy leaders know they need to take care of their bodies so they have the stamina to make it through the demands of leadership. The more active you are, the better the…
There are some things you simply never want to say at work. These phrases carry special power: they have an uncanny ability to make you look bad even when the words are true. Worst of all, there’s no taking them back once they slip out. I’m not talking about shocking slips of the tongue, off-color jokes, or politically incorrect faux pas. These aren’t the only ways to make yourself look…
Most of us grew up hearing the mantra “Don’t be a quitter,” and we’ve internalized it to the point where we feel guilty even if we don’t finish a book that’s boring us to death. Our parents weren’t entirely wrong in saying that persistence is necessary for success, but sometimes quitting is the most effective course of action. Whether it’s a failed project, a thankless job, or a doomed relationship,…
They say up to 93% of communication is non-verbal. Therefore, it is essential that you understand what you are saying beyond just the words you are uttering. Here are some great tricks to better understand body language and communicate more proficiently. Use Mirroring – Mirroring is doing what the other person is doing. By mimicking their actions, whether it’s crossing your arms if they have their arms crossed, speaking soft if they speak soft,…
Many years ago, I attended a conference where the key note speaker happened to be a Symphony Orchestra. The conductor was teaching us leadership lessons. It was a unique and powerful experience. Read on. Conductors start with a plan. They start with a musical score and a clear idea of how it should sound. Only then do they attempt to recreate in real time their musical “vision.” The conductor recruits the best players. Great conductors…
In the ancient world, people took longer-time horizons. It took about 20 years to build a pyramid. Rome wasn’t built in a day. In fact, it’s estimated to have taken 1,000 years to reach its height of glory. But today we live in a period of compressed time spans. The average TV commercial is 30 seconds. Typical smartphone users check their phone 200 times a day, yes you read that correct!…
That person who is our boss has a tremendous impact on us at work–far beyond the obvious things like which office we are assigned to, or the jobs we do each day. The better the boss, the more engaged team members are, and the better their performance. In one study of more than 2,500 leaders in a large financial services company, the engagement, satisfaction, and commitment levels of people working for the…
As leaders, good leaders, the best of leaders, we are natural fixers. Something comes our way that goes wrong, is broken or a challenge and we automatically go into fixer mode. Nothing to big, overwhelming or damaged that the best of leaders can’t handle, right? We stay calm, we are proactive and not reactive, we get it done, and we move forward. We reach deep into our psyche and start…
I always enjoy and appreciate when my readers send me their picks on what would make great MMC! I often get asked about work-life balance and I couldn’t agree more with Richard Branson’s theory on the topic, so thanks to my good friend Jeannie, I am sharing it with you this morning. Enjoy the read! “Achieving work-life balance is like walking a tightrope. Luckily, over numerous decades in business I have learned…