Laura Gassner Otting 
About six months ago, I wandered into the world of public speaking. It wasn’t a planned career shift, but an invitation to stand on a very big stage, that launched the new adventure. Yet despite the warm invitation from a most reputable brand, never in a life so fueled by the guiding principle “fake it … Read more
It’s Graduation Season or, as I like to call it, Trite Advice Season. Beating out, by a nose, blissfully ignorant platitudes such as the ever-recycled, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life!” we get the world’s worst advice in the history of worst advice: “Follow your passion!” “Follow your … Read more
Force: (n) strength or power exerted upon an object; physical coercion; violence; intensity Power: (n) the ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something Energy: (n) the capacity for vigorous activity; available power Leverage: (n) the mechanical advantage or power gained by using a lever, a rigid bar that pivots about one … Read more
Ten years ago, I ran my first mile. That’s right, I was rounding 40 years old, not exactly the picture of fitness, and decided it was time to get my shit together. I signed up for a boot camp that was held every morning at 6:00am on a dirty gym floor at a local Boys … Read more
Compliments…. eek… so awkward! But, wait… did you ever get a compliment that stopped you in your tracks? You! Yeah, you! You are amazing. But, not just any old kind of amazing. You are the kind of amazing that makes me want to be more amazing, too. You motivate me, and you inspire me. … Read more
Look at your to-do list. Look at your calendar. Now, think about your personal or professional goals for today, this week, this quarter, or even this year. How much alignment is there between the way you spend your time and the goals you’ve set for yourself to achieve? My guess is: not a lot. And … Read more
Mentors vs. Champions Give me a show of hands: how many of you have mentors? Lots? Peachy. Now, give me another show of hands: how many of you have champions? What? None? We gotta fix that. STAT. Mentors offer support, they tell you stories, they pass along wisdom. They teach you things. They are terrific. … Read more
Driving my 8th grader home from school one day, I received a call from a friend who happens to be the executive producer of TEDxCambridge. Knowing she was in a bit of a career transition — one that I had energetically encouraged — I felt the responsibility to take the call to make sure everything … Read more
I like to own the stage. I channel my inner showman, and turn on the razzle dazzle. I’m really one jazz-hand number away from selling tickets. And, inevitably, whether in a public arena where I’m teaching leadership, or in a quiet coffee mentoring meeting, that stage persona always leads to the same question. “When did … Read more
I’ve been lucky enough to know some pretty kick-ass people in my time. If you don’t count a few dubious boyfriends early on, they are, for the most part, gorgeously gifted human beings who have a strong moral compass about the world and a shit ton of brilliance to share about how to make said … Read more