Be an Encouraging Developer How can we develop others to create community? Develop those around you by cheerleading, complimenting, challenging, and displaying gratitude. Sometimes, we simply forget to point out what people are doing well.  If we maintain a culture of “catching people doing something right” and pointing it out, it will have a ripple […]

Can we be done dogging Millennials now?  Thank you. We’ve heard them all – Participation ribbons.  Super flexible work schedules.  Asking for promotions way too soon…Snowflakes, right?  If this sounds like your mindset on Millennials, you’re taking a big risk and missing a huge opportunity.  The key to your organization creatively overcoming future challenges lies […]

Want crisper lettuce?  Cool…stay with me here. We’ve all been there.  You’re sitting in the middle of a tense situation and are quickly approaching a decision point.  Your pulse picks up (whether you realize it or not) and you start thinking through your options as fast as you can so you’re prepared when the crossroads […]

The corporate world is pretty homogeneous–basically everyone looks the same. Being black, this is something you notice. You’re always slightly aware of not only the melanin differences, but the differences in mentality as well.  That’s just the way it is. It’s not always a bad thing, it just correlates with the differences people have. However […]

When I graduated from college I was ready to tame the world. I was brimming with knowledge, and ready to show people how intelligent I was. I quickly learned that the book knowledge I had gathered was a great foundation but “experiential knowledge” is what propelled me forward along the skill set path. Most of […]

  Often time’s people use their experiences to instruct others on common mistakes or missteps that they have made. Sometimes you will think that you are doing others a favor by not letting them make the same mistakes or fall into the same traps. This isn’t always well received. Sometimes when trying to teach younger […]

Anticipation + Preparation + Execution = A Great Interview.     If you can master the art of the interview, you’ll have a major advantage as you move through life.  Your ability to give a good interview will give you a huge leg up in getting your job, as well as a lot of other […]

“So what’s your why?”    If you are your own brand, shouldn’t you have a mission statement like any other brand out there?   A mission statement uses a short sentence, or even a phrase, to say everything that the brand stands for.  Linkedin’s says, “To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive […]

“It’s simple: actively work each day to better understand yourself, and then live it out.”   You can’t be your best or reach your own definition of success unless you’re true to yourself. That takes work. In the years that have brought you to this moment in time, you’ve encountered countless distractions.  The social world […]

  Along the way, and after several critical miss-steps, I learned the long lasting power of a compliment.  The counter to that is the particular sting of a public critique, also long lasting.  Projects are often difficult, heroes surface by working hard outside of view, and yes errors are made. It’s my firm belief that […]