Leadership work can consume you in unexpected ways. While managing people and resources, guiding strategy and implementation, confronting disagreement, and diffusing conflict, leaders develop coping mechanisms and assert boundaries that help them navigate the tumultuous terrain. However, they may inadvertently neglect asserting internal boundaries to minimize the mental and emotional strains that come with this work. In this Forbes article, I share my most recent experience as a recovering drama addict and discuss ways I overcame it.
Start Anywhere: Advice For When You're Unsure Of Your Next Move
In my recently published Forbes article, I talk about how to get started (wherever you are) when you’re unclear about the next move to make. Trust me, I know firsthand what that can feel like and have had my share of unplanned meandering (read the article for those details). Nevertheless, when we remain open and willing to learn from our experiences, we always find ourselves on the right course. From the article:
"I’m a huge believer in the dignity of work, and think that we may have done ourselves a great disservice in overemphasizing the notion that only efforts that resonate with our deepest desires and highest values are worth pursuing."
GroundTruth Welcomes Joanne Heyman As Board Chair
I recently stepped into the role of board chair of The GroundTruth Project. It’s an organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists to do on-the-ground reporting, serving under-covered communities, and advancing sustainability, innovation, and equity in journalism in the U.S. and around the world. This work has never been more needed and I am honored to be part of this exciting future.
Not Buying It
The Art Personal Branding: How To Build Bridges While Self-Promoting
Personal branding is an art that requires you to promote yourself (or your business) while building real connections with your customers/audience - and at times can feel like straddling two opposing sides of an electric fence. Take a look at this Forbes article where 15 experts (myself included) weigh in with advice on how to balance these seemingly contradictory approaches and successfully build your personal brand. Here’s a hint: those who focus on giving are bound to receive…
13 Warning Signs Of A Life Crisis (And Ways To Course Correct)
It happens - that feeling of overwhelm that sometimes brings us to the brink of “out of control”. How do we know when we’re approaching our limit - and how do we back away from the edge? I share one clear sign in a recent Forbes article. What other signals may be warning you away from an impending break? Read more here.
Give Yourself Permission To Play
It’s summer and the world is opening up again. It feels like a revival and in many ways it is - but one that we would benefit from engaging in more regularly. How is that? Through the act of play. In this post, learn how making play a part of your life can provide relief, boost creativity and inspiration for some of your biggest challenges.
Re-Entry: Designing The Next Chapter
14 Ways To Renew Enthusiasm For A Long-Standing Job
The Many Paths To Knowledge
Our pool of knowledge is developed and acquired through various channels and over a lifetime. Have you considered that the path through which knowledge comes to us can influence our willingness to adjust, refine or revise it? Ultimately, are you willing to accept that you may have it all wrong in order to correct and adjust your beliefs, and ultimately become “right”?
Build Endurance: Prepare To Go The Distance
We can’t ignore the collective fatigue that feels like a heavy weight we carry – both physically and emotionally – each and every day. Even with bright spots of progress, the road ahead is long, with no sense of what may come along the way. All along we’ve done our best to be resilient – bouncing back from challenges and frustrations. Now is the time that we need to be focusing on how we endure. How do we find the mental, emotional, and physical energy to keep going when there is no clear end in sight?
The Gift of Clarity: Aligning What Matters
As this year-like-no-other draws to a close, I’ve reflected on some of the most consequential lessons learned and have been reminded of what matters the most. Some of the former are in this blog, along with thoughts to enter 2021 with a sense of purpose and intention. As for what matters, it’s been with me all along – like Dorothy’s ruby slippers – and it’s family, friends, and community. In that spirit, a huge thank you for being in conversation with me, for being my sources of inspiration, and for showing up as you do. Wishing you health and happiness this season and beyond.
15 Ways For Business Leaders To Be Accountable For Bad Decisions
Leaders are responsible for making countless decisions each day that impact the welfare and success of organizations, staff, and the general public. For this reason, it’s important for them to be able to take accountability for their actions (or inactions) that may result in negative consequences. At the heart of leadership is the acknowledgment of our humanity...and the ability to accept mistakes as learning moments (preferably quickly) and self-correct. In this most recent article, I contributed what I believe to be 1 of 15 important ways that leaders can be accountable for bad decisions.
12 Ways For Professionals To Know If A Job Aligns With Their Values
Whether a job is right for you, goes beyond assessing the skills you bring to the table and compensation packages. We often overlook one of the most important factors in determining whether we can thrive at a company... IS THE COMPANY ALIGNED WITH OUR VALUES? Take a look at how I (along with other experts) suggest we answer this question.
How Business Leaders Thrive: 16 Surprising Habits To Practice Daily
Habits form the framework that shapes our lives. We tend not to think about them as they work in the background, guiding our steps, our actions, and affecting outcomes. Take a moment to think about and build the habits that will help you thrive! I (and other notable experts) have compiled a great list to choose from.
The Power of Gathering
If there’s one thing this year has demonstrated, it’s that we possess a basic, undeniable need to connect to one another and to gather. With all the options technology has provided for us to meet that need, many of us are feeling more isolated and alone than ever. How can we design activities and establish new rituals that reaffirm our humanity at a time when gathering puts us at risk? I’ve taken inspiration from thinkers young and old to ignite my imagination.
My Top 10 From The Past 10
The past 10 years have been quite a journey. I started Heyman Partners with a simple idea that quickly evolved into a fuller representation of who I am, what I want to share, and who I want to partner with and serve. I’ve learned so many important lessons along the way, but here are the top 10 that have helped me grow and have an impact thanks to my clients and collaborators!
*SPOILER ALERT* - #10 is the one we need to remind ourselves of most often.
Is Cancel Culture Canceling Opportunities?
Technology has facilitated a problematic new reality, where artificial intelligence creates bubbles in which we receive algorithmically curated content. We think we’re in charge, choosing to “like” or follow people and companies, but there is so much more that doesn’t meet the eye! One painful result is that when that bubble is burst by opposing opinions we reflexively dismiss them. If we hope to regain a real sense of connection as a society, we must step on the breaks and assess challenging ideas and voices before “swiping left.”
Feeling Isolated? 13 Ways To Combat Loneliness In Entrepreneurship
It can be lonely running your own operation or leading an organization.
"To validate the sacrifices you’re making—and perhaps to distract yourself from the pressure of working solo much of the time—you may up your load, trying to bring every big idea to life. Although many entrepreneurs lose themselves in their work in this way, no one can escape the fact that humans are social animals by nature, and being disconnected from others will eventually impact your health."
Here are a few ways to combat the isolation that many times start to creep in.
Winning In A Very Different Way
There's never just one way to win, but there may be a better way. Here's a great example of how developing deep, mission-driven goals around big vision can get you the results you’re looking for, plus a lot more. The tv station, WSOC in Charlotte, NC, took this approach and was able to create value in their industry, for the station, and in the community they serve.