Kristin's Blog
The Fallacy of a Pure “Switzerland” Approach
Recently, I had a colleague tell me a story which hit me square between the eyes. It shed light on a glaring realization and lesson which I feel compelled to offer, and from which we can all learn. Here is the story: His friend, with whom he was in business, betrayed him through omission to…
Time Reveals Substance
This weekend I happened to watch a recorded episode of Dan Rather’s ‘The Big Interview’. Dan was interviewing Lindsey Buckingham. For my younger readers, Lindsey Buckingham is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and producer, who is best known as the lead guitarist and one of the vocalists of the musical group Fleetwood Mac from 1975…
5 Tips to Lead By Influence
In our professional life, and often in our personal life as well, leading by influence is often more important than leading by positional power alone. In fact, in my experience, I was (am) much more inclined to follow those I respect and for which I have an affinity, than those who have the perceived authoritarian…
The First Step
Several years ago, during the heart of the economic downturn, many professionals embraced portfolio careers out of necessity. Yet, even as the job market has improved, this approach has become even more common. The traditional, single-track career pattern of the last century is less prevalent. Folks realize that the ‘Corporate ladder’ path is not the…
Leadership as Defined by our Founders
As most of you know, Hewlett-Packard was my first alma mater. In responding to your requests to outline key points and pointers relative to leadership, I began to craft my thoughts when I remembered an article I wrote several years ago which highlighted our founder’s wisdom relative to leadership. From my perspective, Bill Hewlett and Dave…
What is the 'Big Deal'?!
How many times have we had someone say to us or about us: “Oh, what you are facing is really not that big of a deal – you will be fine” or “Lots of people have faced situations like yours…it is not that big a deal”? I have been astonished at how calloused and unconcerned…
How do I learn to say 'no'.....and still get to a 'yes'?!!
Many of you shared with me the paradox you face when trying to say no (when you may actually want to say yes); however, due to resource constraints and other pressing priorities, the answer, at least at that point in time, must be ‘no’. So, how do we do this AND preserve relationships, keep a project…
Leadership isn't just about Title or Rank....or is it?!
Most of us have experienced the feeling of being ‘passed over’ for a promotion or caught in the crosshairs of an organizational restructuring. The feeling of being ‘demoted’ can be demoralizing – whether it is real or imagined. And to make matters worse, often individuals buy into the myth that if they do not attain…
Five Tips to Navigate and Benefit from Change
The only constant is change. Change and progress are inevitable. Change is vital and necessary. Yes, all these statements are true. Yet, this does not make dealing with the disruption, the ambiguity, the fear, and the concern of how change will effect each of us, easy. Let’s face it – change can be scary, unsettling,…
Alignment - the Ultimate Key to Success
When I formed Alignment, Inc. almost 10 years ago, the word (and concept) of ‘alignment’ were, for the most part, reserved for body shops and chiropractors! Yet, successful leaders and my senior leader/CEO friends LOVED the concept as they said THAT is what distinguishes successful leaders, organizations, cultures, and strategies. Of course, I could not…