Laura Gassner Otting 
(Disclaimer: Using these networking tips may result in an enormous Rolodex, through which you might change the world.) 1. You will say something inane, at some point, to someone. Someone will reject you, look for someone more interesting, or only be half listening. Get over it. Keep going. No one really cares. 2. Get yourself … Read more
We hold a Family Meeting every week. It’s the most important meeting in our home, and if you’re not holding your own Family Meeting, it’s the most important meeting you aren’t attending each week. Let’s face it: it’s hard to be a perfect parent. We try to do everything, know everything, be everything. We juggle … Read more
Men lead with confidence. Women lead with competence. In fact, studies show that men vie for promotions, initiate salary negotiations (and ask for bigger increases when they do), and run for office with far less prompting, if any, than women. And why is that? If you ask a woman whether or not she is ready … Read more
At the 2018 Academy Awards, Frances McDormand closed a traditional Best Actress blah-blah-blah-I’d-like-to-thank-the-Academy acceptance speech with this: “I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider!” It was said so seriously, so oddly out of cadence with the rest of the personal, heartfelt vibe of her remarks. It was industry … Read more
There is a funny thing about confidence: sometimes the people who look like they have the most actually have the least. For me, it’s not confidence that has fueled my success, but optimism, romanticism, idealism. What most people see as confidence is just those things disguised as forward motion, action, and determination. You see, I’m … Read more
Have you ever written down some of the things you say to yourself when you self-doubt self-talk? In your mind, these things sound okay, almost reasonable, in fact. Maybe you’re really not that smart, maybe you’re really not that ambitious, maybe your butt really could benefit from a few more squats at the old gym. … Read more
You’d be surprised at the life lessons you can learn running marathons. Back when I used to run them, I’d say that there is a moment at mile 20, when you know you have six more miles to go, where you have to make a decision. Six miles, 10 kilometers. That’s all you’ve got left. … Read more
I woke up this morning — I mean really woke up, like for the day, with no chance of return to the prized, floaty, cocooned slumber from which I was so unceremoniously yanked — at 12:45am. 12:45am! That’s practically still last night. Perhaps it was the sriracha shrimp tacos I ate for dinner. Or, maybe … Read more
Guess how many perfect candidates I found in twenty years of doing an executive search? Precisely zero. Guess how many incredible, world-changing leaders I placed? Approximately all. Why does this math make sense? Because no one is perfect. So, that begs the question: What are you waiting around for? You will never have every qualification. … Read more
How many times have you stopped short of a goal because your brain said you couldn’t do it, you weren’t ready? I took up rowing two years ago. I found some early success, mostly because I was already in good physical condition and simply needed to apply a new skill set to an already fit … Read more