Culture, Coffee & Common Sense

You Are the Prize What a colorful little box of Froot Loops reminded me about leadership, recognition and seeing what’s already there P.S. We crossed 1,000 subscribers! There’s a special celebration—and a giveaway—waiting for you at the bottom of today’s issue. Coffee Conversation ☕ I picked up a little box of Froot Loops from a breakfast buffet recently. Not because they were the healthiest option on the buffet. Clearly. And not because I suddenly developed the breakfast habits of an...

Wishbone. Backbone. Funny Bone. And Coffee. Reba McEntire gave us a pretty good formula for success. I just think she left out one important ingredient. ☕ Coffee Conversation Leave it to Reba McEntire to turn a leadership lesson into something you can remember without a PowerPoint deck. She once said: “To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.” That’s pretty hard to argue with. A wishbone because you have to believe something better is possible. A...

I Found My Worth in a Box of Froot Loops Sometimes the thing someone intends as an insult becomes exactly the reminder you need. ☕ Coffee Conversation I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty confident person. By this point in my career, I had years of experience behind me. I had a bookcase full of awards that suggested I knew what I was doing. I had built a career doing work I genuinely loved. And yet, in about six months, one boss had me questioning all of it. My skills. My judgment. My...

Whether we’ve connected through one of my workshops, a speaking event, my blog, or one of my books, you already know I believe leadership and workplace culture matter—and neither has to be complicated. That’s the idea behind my biweekly newsletter, Culture, Coffee & Common Sense. Every other week, I share practical leadership insights, workplace research worth reading, real-life stories, and small actions you can use to strengthen communication, culture, and trust. And I’d love to have you...

The Route Changed. The Destination Didn’t. Leadership isn’t only revealed by how you move forward. It’s revealed by how you respond when forward gets complicated. ☕ Coffee Conversation A few weeks ago, I wrapped up two days of leadership workshops in Ohio and headed to the airport feeling pretty good. The sessions had gone well. My flight was on time. We even left the gate thinking we might arrive in Atlanta a little earlier than expected. You know where this is going, don’t you? Weather took...

Your Culture Has a Shadow The culture you describe isn’t always the culture people experience. ☕ Coffee Conversation I’ve visited and worked with enough organizations over the years to know that you can often feel a workplace culture before anyone explains it. Sometimes leaders proudly describe a culture built around teamwork, trust, communication, and putting people first. The website says all the right things. The mission statement is framed beautifully on the wall. The onboarding...

Hi, friend! The weekend is almost here—and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a little extra breathing room in it. Maybe you’ll be traveling, tackling errands, taking a walk, sitting by the pool or finally getting to something on your “I’ll catch up on that later” list. If that sounds like you, I’ve put together a little leadership listening menu! Whether you have five minutes to spare or time for a deeper conversation, there’s an episode waiting for you. Choose your leadership listening mood: If...

The Habit Ripple Effect I recently led a workshop on professional habits that build better teams, stronger client relationships, and greater professional success. And one idea really seemed to land in the room: Professional habits don’t stay in their lane. We may talk about habits in separate buckets — team habits, client habits, and personal professional development habits — but in real life, they are all connected. The habits you bring to your team impact the way your clients are served....

Hi AI can help us create faster. It can draft the email.Summarize the meeting.Generate the ideas.Polish the post.Maybe even sound a little bit like us. But can it replace your voice? Your lived experience?Your values?Your ability to read the room?Your discernment?Your empathy?The trust you build with people over time? That’s the heart of the conversation I had with Mike Kim on this week’s episode of the Culture Secrets Podcast. The episode is called: What AI Can’t Replace: Leadership Brand,...