Whether an individual, team, or organization,
increase your value by developing the voice of a leader.

Liz Trocchio Smith

Liz Trocchio Smith
Certified Executive Business Coach
and Trusted Advisor

Monday Morning Coffee

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direct to your in-box every Monday Morning with tips on what it takes to be a great leader

Mothers

Monday Morning, May 12, 2014 Good morning, Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and I wasn’t with my mom because I was out of town.  I knew I was going to be out of town, so I spent last weekend with her.  It’s not the same though, it wasn’t Mother’s Day.  She didn’t seem to mind because I know she is happy to spend time with me whenever we are together.  But…

Trust

Monday Morning, May 5, 2014 Good morning,  Recently my husband Randy shared an interview with me my from the author of a new book, “Trust, Inc.: How to Create a Business Culture That Will Ignite Passion, Engagement, and Innovation.”   The author is Nan S. Russell, and the interview was worthy of Monday Morning Coffee. Q: Why trust? What makes this leadership quality so essential right now? Russell: Trust is at an…

Self Confidence

Monday, April 21, 2014 Good morning, I recently read an article about women and self-confidence, but the advice applies to everybody.   Here are the takeaways: 1. Strive for excellent imperfection. According to the authors, women have a tendency to feel bad if they don’t do everything–from how they look to how they parent to how they talk–perfectly.  As a result, they sometimes fail to take risks lest they fall…

Listen To Your Employees

Monday, April 14, 2014 Good morning, In a recent LinkedIn survey, here are 10 things folks said they needed to be happy in their jobs.  If you have good employees and want to make sure to retain them, read on.  These came straight from them, so listen and learn. 1. I need to like what I do. “Do I like what I do, am I good at it, do others…

Mentoring

Monday, April 7, 2014 Good morning, It seems like everywhere you go and everywhere you look, some organization, group or individual is looking for a mentor.  This morning, I am participating, along with 24 other top female professionals in Dallas, with the Dallas Business Journals’ Mentoring Monday, which will kick off a “speed-dating” like mentoring program of over 100 women mentees at the Belo Mansion for “mentoring moments” shared by each…

Leadership Lessons From March Madness

Monday, March 24, 2014 Good morning, Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. –Michael Jordan March Madness is upon us. It’s the time of the year in college basketball where dreams come true and when hearts are broken depending on the final score. How’s your bracket looking? Regardless of how your team performs there are key leadership lessons to be learned.  Here are five worth your consideration. Expect…

Are Your Employees A Challenge?

Monday, March 17, 2014 Good morning, Do your employees drive you up the proverbial wall? When you go home, do you inundate your spouse with stories of how awful they are?   If so, you’ll probably recognize these employees, and appreciate our solutions on how to fix the problems.   1. Doesn’t respect your time.   This employee comes in late every morning and leaves early often.   If a meeting…

BAN BOSSY

Monday, March 10, 2014 Good morning, On the heels of International Women’s Day, which was Saturday, three dynamic women, Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Girl Scouts of America CEO Anna Maria Chavez, are rolling out a campaign to deliver a powerful message.  They are coming together and launching a public service campaign to ban the word bossy, a negative label, they say, which is…

Marketing Tips From The Oscars

Monday, March 3, 2014 Good morning, If you think the Oscars are swank, look at the size of the campaigns movies launch to win them: an estimated $10 million to $20 million. Each. It’s serious business. Films nominated for best picture pulled a fifth of their revenue in the month between nomination and awards and winners see 12 percent after getting the gold. What can you learn from Hollywood’s master marketers? Plenty. Timing…

Time

Monday, February 24, 2014 Good morning, My good friend Susan in Dallas sent this article to me several months back and I just came across it again.  In this first quarter of the new year, I’m amazed at how many people tell me they are crazy busy and have little time to spare, so I thought it was fitting to share.  The article is from FastCompany.com. Back in 1991, Warren…

How To Keep Going When The Going Gets Tough

Monday, February 17, 2014 Good morning, Think you’ll wait until your 60s to retire? If you’re like most American workers, that amounts to over four decades of focus on your career. Of course, the types of effort required and the things you’ll prioritize will change during that time, but still: It helps to have some serious motivation to sustain you. And who’s better at tapping inner drive than a U.S….

Go For The Gold

Monday, February 10, 2014 Good morning,     Olympians aren’t necessarily the most physically gifted people in the world, but they do have something that less-accomplished athletes do not: heart.  I reached what made gold medalist great leaders, and here is what I discovered.  To lead like a gold medalist, adopt these techniques for winning. Practice with your entire being – The old saying “practice makes perfect” isn’t quite right. Olympic gold medalists…