“I don’t like the way you keep treating me. How can I change?”

You read that right. No, there aren’t any typos in this dialogue, because this isn’t a dialogue.
There is nothing missing from this two-sentence sequence.
That is exactly the point: this short and empowering quotation must be a monologue.

Every day we witness many of these classic frustrating scenarios, wherein, regardless of who is involved, the lines seem rehearsed and everyone is off-book.

A perfect example (Warning: Barnum-ish Effect ahead), your parents.
The recurrent and totally unproductive interactions in the perennial disputes between your mother and father – 30+ years later, zero creativity, reproaches are exactly the same... laziest scriptwriters ever (replace “mother and father” by the actors of any long-term relationship).

Here’s a bone to chew on: you surely have one relationship (personal or professional) in which you are not only not satisfied, but you...

This week a client of mine, a CEO, asked me “Jeanne, would you mind making a phone call to Bianca…?”

- Tell me more. What’s happening? What do you need me for?

- Well, since I hired her two years ago I’ve been waiting for her to deliver, to show me that she deserves the job. Now this is the last call.

- Hum…
Really?

This situation feels familiar to most of us, either from the perspective of the (desperate) manager urging for results, or that of the (also desperate) employee praying for a happy ending in this uncomfortable day-to-day environment.

Here are the 6 points of my answer to the CEO:

1. Historical perspective: First off, reconnect with the origins. Why did you hire her in the first place? What are her assets that led you to believe she was the one?  Focus on these and help her find a way to tap into her strengths and recreate the conditions for her to deliver.
2. Relevant perspective: To set up a successful resolution, YOU have to be...

“It took me 10 years to succeed…, overnight.” 

I love this quote that I encountered in a lost magazine at a bus station.
It reminds me of 2 common illusions most achievers fall into at one point or another:

 1/The sprint does not exist.

The sprint doesn’t exist for one simple reason; What you desire the most, not an intermediate goal but your true ambition, your real quest, is an infinite game that will never be done once and for all.
You tend to it, you take it step-by-step, you expand and get bigger and better on your path, but still your journey is infinite.
The pursuit of it IS the matter.

Think a moment, when you become number 1 in your field, you discover that the game is still not over: You become your own challenger and compete with yourself to be better than you were yesterday - MJ-style.
The untold truth is that since the very beginning, you were and you are your own unique challenger. Most of the time you only realize it fully when...

Who is okay with frustration? My guess is no one.
Who, then, is trying to solve it? Some.
And who is open to changing their ways? A few.
Who is then more fulfilled and more aligned with themselves? The same few.

I’ve combed through my 10-year career and examined the 10 clients with whom I haven’t managed to reach the highest potential outcomes that I expected for them.
Frustration at its height!

Why do most of my clients see extraordinary results, while others see only ordinary results, and in some rare cases, downright low results? 
Indeed, in the same frame time, my expertise, my skills and my method are merely the same from one client to another. My personality also doesn’t change. My beliefs, my motives, my commitment are similar too. So, this is why it is so intriguing and meaningful to dig up this treasure trove of insight.
Should this lead me to believe that these differences in results varies entirely according to on my clients?
No.
First, I don’t...

When you wake up in the morning, from the moment your feet hit the floor, you have the power to influence the way you go through your day. Yes, we all have that skill.

So when was the last time you asked yourself this question? I mean exactly in this way.
Unfortunately, few of us are actively using this technique, and I consider it to be a very sad waste of our power.
The good news? We can reconnect you to this fantastic opportunity, and it will only cost you $0 and about 5 minutes of your time. Best deal ever, right?

Result-oriented people and Cartesians minds, pay close attention to this concept of "Intention", despite your (assumed) reluctance.
Why do I assume this, you ask? The former consider it wishful thinking, not involving enough action or effort to be truly effective, while the latter demand scientific explanations and proof like a bouncer at a club.
If you relate to one of those categories, or both, jump in now –  it’s never too late!
If you feel...

Most of the time you find yourself hesitant to make waves for the sake of convenience and the comfort of others ,despite the very real discomfort that you may be experiencing. But this time is different. You can’t keep quiet, you set aside your fear and tap into your courage to speak up.

Many factors, individually or combined, may have led to this:

1. It has gone on long enough
2. You’ve worked on a back-up plan
3. It’s the straw that broke the camel’s back
4. It’s touching some core values of yours
5. You have nothing to lose
6. It is Friday night, late… You’ve been drinking… you forget who you are talking to

or…

7. You just CARE ENOUGH

Yesterday I sent a note to one of my favorite clients in order to wake him up and better harness his coaching. Although he may be satisfied with it, this coaching does not comply with my standards of commitment and results. Since he seems happy with it, why should I risk fixing something that isn’t...

“I can’t call it a “leadership success”, Jeanne: I did not manage to onboard this person.”

This is what a leader admitted to me this morning.
Although I understand this take on it, I still question it; is onboarding every person, every time, supposed to be a requirement for good leaders?

Leadership traits have been discussed in minute detail for years. The common list of indispensable soft-skills usually includes:

• Self-belief
• Ability to listen
• Ability to talk
• Empathy
• Connection
• Vision
• Assertiveness
• Self-awareness
• Accountability
• Truthfulness
• Reliability
• Attention to details
• Authenticity
• Drive

As you may have noticed, none of these qualities seem optional for a leaders.
But my point here is not to challenge what are or aren’t the most important qualities of leadership , and to argue about it.
What is more interesting here is to question what limiting beliefs we nurture around the leader myth.

Here are the 5 most frequent myths I’ve...

Jonathan has worked as a free-lance real estate agent for the last 3 years.
He admits that he has no special interest in his job, but during his mid-life crisis he had decided to jump in for financial reasons only. Reaching for wealth!

Unfortunately, most of the time he is still today struggling to have a constant flow of money.
Lately, riding the wave from new COVID requirements, one of his highly successful friends offered him the opportunity to join a very promising business in public space cleaning.
Looks like a winning ticket on his way to becoming Wealthy Jonathan!
Yet, Jonathan wondered if that was a good option for him, and eventually declined.

I didn’t get it.
When I asked him why, he responded with one word: “Freedom.”

Reporting to a boss does not sound like heaven for a lot of us.
I get that. Actually, I relate to that vision to such an extent that I ran away from the very first company I worked for, after 2 years only. And I would not go back to that...

Since I discovered this expression some years ago, I’ve been intrigued and appreciative that such a concept exists!

Bill Milliken, a Christian minister working with at-risk youth in New York’s lower East Side, wrote the book “Tough Love” in 1968. Since then, Americans have used this expression in the common vernacular, and it has been promoted in education and management.

Why am I so enthusiastic about it? Because this expression reminds us of 2 essential things regarding relationships:

• Pleasing people doesn’t always equal helping them
• We are responsible for uplifting or weakening someone’s abilities by our own way of interacting with them

Tough Love: Two words that mean so much more than what each of them alone signify.
This relatively recent concept is actually defined by the Collins dictionary as: “The practice of being very strict with someone in order to help them overcome a problem with their behavior.”

4 points...