Our ability to momentarily disengage from the thoughts in our head and become aware of what’s going on around us, and within us, is at the heart of listening effectively. We diminish this skill when we limit our exposure to thoughts and ideas different from our own.

Teams are comprised of people who are different because no two humans are exactly alike. Different kinds of experiences. Different communication styles. Different work habits. Different preferences. All of it creates tension, sometimes even conflict. But contrary to popular belief, the team itself is rarely the problem. Teaming is.

I’ve been having a quiet debate with myself for a while now: where should we teach leadership skills?

Is it in an academic setting, where there’s room to experiment and take risks but without the real-world context to recognize the consequences?

Or is it in the professional workplace, where the impact is real and often observable but the appetite for risk is understandably lower?

In a workshop for senior HR professionals who specialize in advocating for others, we turn the tables and discuss how to effectively advocate for their own goals.

In an insightful and wide-ranging recent interview, Airbnb’s co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky reflects on his approach to conflict and feedback as a young leader: “Someone once told me a pitcher never takes themselves off the mound, that the coach has to go onto the mound…and I was hoping the pitchers would take themselves off the mound.”

Difficult conversations are more successful when your primary objective (or point) of the meeting is to explore the “three realities”…

If you had only five minutes to give a complete presentation, what would you talk about?

Recently, The Athletic published an article about Michael Phelps, the worlds’ most decorated Olympian. But the story was not about his accomplishments as a swimmer. It was about journaling.As I read the article, I began to reflect on my training as an architect and the tradition of carrying a physical sketchbook at all times…

There’s an old saying: hope for the best but plan for the worst. Sometimes, if a project ends on a low note, we may feel compelled to reflect on what happened. But how often do those insights get captured so they are accessible and useful for future efforts? We need to flip the script…

As a volunteer coach at the Massachusetts Conference for Women, I was assigned a two-hour shift during which I would coach walk-up attendees in 20-minute micro-sessions. I do not recommend this kind of speed coaching….

I can’t say that I’m a Carrie Underwood fan although the lyrics to “Jesus, Take the Wheel” sure do reflect the treacherous state many of us feel we’re in at the close of 2025…

It’s the year 2004 and I had just sold an engagement to Morgan Stanley’s head of investment banking who was concerned about the emerging technologies available to his Managing Directors. With limited time available to explore the challenge, we asked the MD’s a single question, and it was this…

A favorite episode from the Emmy-winning streaming series The Studio features movie exec Matt (Seth Rogen) facing off with director Ron Howard to deliver a “note” on his latest film - movie industry-speak for feedback. Mayhem ensues…

These days it seems we’re exposed to a daily downpour of words, from the infinite reservoirs of streaming content to our own unfocused communications. To cut through the noise we create even more noise in our bid to be heard…

Earlier this week we celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year. Although I was raised in a moderately-observant household, only a few traditions have stayed with me because they are truly magical. One of these is the practice of Tashlich, a ritual for casting-away... 

This year I was hooked on US Open tennis. At some point – I think it was during a Djokovic match – I began to observe something interesting about these elite players. They were doing so much more than just moving around the court, striking a ball with a racquet...

What’s with the term executive presence?  Does it really matter if you are an executive or the others are executives? Do we really need that qualifier? Sure, it may imply that the situational stakes are higher but I will argue that as a term it’s both unnecessary and hugely unhelpful…

I had a professor in grad school who offered a critique of my writing that I have never forgotten: “Laura, just dial direct.”

Earlier this month I co-presented a workshop that I developed for the annual AIA Conference on Architecture and Design. Over the course of two and a half hours, we facilitated a conversation with 130 people and kept them engaged with a topic that can be frustrating and difficult, and one that is not often shared in a roomful of strangers…

If you live in the greater Boston area and you’re a Red Sox fan, perhaps you know there’s been a kerfuffle involving the team’s marquee player, Rafel Devers. The situation mirrors that in many kinds of businesses where a talented individual refuses to accept a new assignment or accommodate unexpected changes in their work environment…