How Do I Get Out of a Bad Meeting?
Are you trapped in endless meetings that never lead to decisions? You’re not alone. In this episode of Go Ask Jenn, we tackle the frustrating reality of “monster committees” — those recurring meetings that drain your time and energy without delivering results. The Problem: Endless Meetings, Zero Decisions One viewer shared their dilemma: “I’m on…
Read MoreHow to Manage Up: Leadership Development in Action
Let’s be honest—working for a new or inexperienced boss can be tough. You want to be supportive, but when every project feels half-baked and you’re constantly resisting the urge to roll your eyes, it’s hard to stay motivated. One viewer recently asked: “Jenn – My new boss is nice, but new to leadership—and honestly, their…
Read MoreHow to Stop Perfectionism at Work: On-time and High-Quality
This post is based on a short episode from our weekly YouTube advice series, Go Ask Jenn — watch the full video here. Below is a written transcript edited into a concise blog post for easier reading and reference. When Is “Good Enough” Good Enough? Balancing Quality and Timely Delivery Today’s question is all…
Read MoreGroup vs Team: Why the Distinction Matters
Leaders often use the words group and team interchangeably. On the surface, they sound the same: a collection of people working in the same organization, sometimes on the same initiative. But the difference between a group and a team is more than semantics—it shapes how people collaborate, how they succeed, and how much energy they…
Read MoreBack-to-Basics: How Leaders Rebuild After Change and Burnout
Since early 2020, leaders and teams have faced nonstop change, stress, and instability. Instead of strategic planning and steady growth, most organizations have been stuck in survival mode. Goal-setting is deferred, layoffs and hiring freezes push teams to the brink, and even the most foundational routines—like inventory audits or team huddles—have fallen by the wayside.…
Read MoreRemoving the Barriers to Collaboration
Have you ever been working on an improvement idea and when the time comes to share it with others you think to yourself, “Ugh, I don’t want to.” If you’re like me, maybe you even groan and make a face. Well, it turns out that those little pangs of *UGH* are moments of insight. They…
Read MoreEngaging Your Teams in Effective Project Planning
Goal deployment, the act of collaboratively setting goals and planning the work necessary to achieve them, is one of our favorite activities. It feels like a fresh start, a new opportunity to accomplish what is most important to us. And while it may not sound glamorous, engaging your teams in effective project planning is a…
Read MoreSquelching the Urge to Say, “I told you so.”
There will come a day when you were right all along. Your warnings went unheeded. Your insights blatantly ignored. But then, your experience finally pays off. A smug smile unfolds and you relish the opportunity to open your mouth and gloat, “I told you so.” You’ve earned it. And it feels good. “The four…
Read MoreStop Ignoring Problems: Leadership Listening Skills That Work
“When one person tells me a harsh truth, I can be sure she’s speaking for others who aren’t as bold. It makes me pay better attention, and then I realize others have been saying the same thing all along, just more softly. I haven’t heard it because I haven’t really been listening.”-Melinda French Gates, The…
Read MoreIt’s Time to Level Up: A Five Step Guide to Goals that Matter
2020 was a sucker punch to the gut. Yet despite the harsh realities brutally exposed this year, I remain optimistic. The entire world was forced to see things they did not want to see, and develop skills they did not plan to develop. And while we may not agree on the facts, and are certainly…
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