Liz Trocchio Smith
Certified Executive Business Coach
and Trusted Advisor
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To Be Authentic, Look Beyond Yourself. What is authenticity, who has it and how do you get it? Most people associate authenticity with being true to oneself – or “walking the talk.” But there’s a problem with that association; it focuses on how you feel about yourself. Authenticity is actually a relational behavior, not a self-centered one, meaning that to be truly authentic, you must not only be…
Have you ever wondered why people treat you the way they do? The best starting place is to look at how you treat others. If you don’t like the way you are being treated, there is only one thing to do – change your own behavior, because you can’t change others. Here are a few good places to start. Instead of judging people by their past, stand by them and…
Can you imagine what your day would be like if you and others were gracious every day? I have committed to doing one act of kindness every day for the entire year. It would be great if I could make a difference in someone’s day. Maybe you could too. Grace is a character trait that seems to be lacking in today’s business world. I challenge each one of you to…
When you get ready to sit down and send thank you notes out for all the treasures you received, how will you send them? Email or hand written? I’m a big fan of sending hand written notes for everything I receive. My mom taught me along time ago to send handwritten thank you notes, and it has stuck with me. I feel email is too impersonal, and so do others…
The holiday season gets crazy with shopping and parties nearly every night of the week. Then we have our regular responsibilities and every day tasks. One of the things that will suffer the most is sleep. Sometimes we have so much going on, the late nights mean only 4 to 5 hours of sleep. I couldn’t do that on a regular basis without looking like a tired mess, so I…
The benefits of kindness at work are well documented. But how do you actually promote caring and generosity on your team? First, take the lead. People are highly attuned to the behaviors of high-status team members; when you give compliments to your employees, they’re likely to emulate your behavior. Second, set aside time during Zoom meetings for a “kindness round,” in which team members are free to acknowledge and praise…
Imposter syndrome is the persistent, nagging thought that tells us that we are undeserving of our achievements. If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone. So, how can you channel feelings of self-doubt into something more constructive and productive? Here are some tips. Reframe self-doubt. Instead of shying away from experiences that trigger your doubt, deliberately embrace them. Remember that challenges are opportunities to learn. Think of your nerves…
It’s tempting to think that if you’re tough on yourself, you’ll perform better. But self-criticism can ruin your mood, focus, and productivity if you let it. Try to take a more balanced approach to evaluating your own performance with these strategies. Avoid generalization. Resist the urge to zero in on a single negative event and instead consider your performance on aggregate. Think of a bell curve: Some days will be…
Do your employees come to you with every little question they have during the workday? These interruptions make it hard to do focused work, and are a sign that people don’t feel empowered to make decisions on their own. Here’s how to address the issue. Model focus. Make clear that an “open-door policy” doesn’t mean that anyone is allowed to interrupt you at any time for any reason. Designate do-not-disturb…
We’ve all got regrets about missed career opportunities or things we wished we’d done or said. That’s normal. Rather than trying to quash the feeling, you’ve got to make peace with it. Start by recognizing your emotions and expressing them — even if only to yourself. What past action or inaction is causing you to feel this way? You may even consider grabbing a pen and paper and writing out…