Tina's feet in a pair of Wellington boots, or 'wellies'

Understanding the Shadow Side of Your Leadership Tendencies

Last month, we introduced the idea that the roles we learned to play in childhood — the ways we adapted to stress, earned connection, or kept the peace — may still be shaping how we lead today. These patterns aren’t flaws. In fact, they were incredibly intelligent strategies at the time, helping us as individuals…

Read More >
Mo Gawdat portrait

Interrupt Your Negative Self-Talk with 3 Questions from This Exec

Lately, I’ve been asking myself one simple question before I walk into a meeting or conversation: “Am I open or protected?” I can’t relate if I’m in protection mode. It’s been a quiet way to return to myself … just enough to shift the energy I bring into the room. If this idea resonates, I…

Read More >

An Invitation to Look Back So You Can Lead Forward (Try This Assessment)

According to Deloitte’s 2024 Global Human Capital Trends report, emotional intelligence and self-awareness are among the top five leadership capabilities identified for navigating complexity and building resilient teams. Some of the most important clues we have about our natural leadership tendencies are found in our earliest experiences on a team—our family team. I wrote about…

Read More >

Leadership Is for Grown-Ups (Guess Again): How Your Childhood Shows Up at Work

Have you ever found yourself overfunctioning on a team, overextending while silently thinking, “Why am I the only one handling this?” Or perhaps you notice your tendency to play the peacekeeper, smoothing over tension while your own ideas sit politely in the backseat. Maybe when things get stressful, you default to “lone-wolf mode”—better to do…

Read More >

It’s Half-Time: Celebrate Small Wins You Probably Overlooked

We’re six months into the year, and summer gives us the extra light we need to check in with ourselves. Last December, I shared a variety of end-of-year reflection questions that can help you learn from your experiences and set intentions for the year. You can explore these questions for you, your team, and your…

Read More >

Your Quirky Obsessions Aren’t Connected to Leadership (Or Are They?)

The other day, I found myself deep in a rabbit hole, thinking about the owls and owlets in my neighborhood. It was 10:45 p.m., and I should have been asleep. But I was wide awake, totally absorbed—and weirdly energized. That’s when I remembered a question Susan Cain posed in a recent Substack newsletter that’s been…

Read More >

And Just Like That, We Begin Again

We just launched the newest cohort of Leading and Living on Purpose. Thirty-one courageous leaders from across one organization are stepping into a powerful journey of self-discovery and aligned leadership. This isn’t just another leadership program. It’s an invitation to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what truly matters within and beyond the workplace. One participant…

Read More >
A meme saying: Let that "should" go

Stop Shoulding On Yourself

There was a season in my life when I measured my days by what I got done —not how I felt; not who I connected with; not whether I moved closer to meaning. Just checkmarks. Tasks. Output. It looked productive from the outside. But inside, I felt like I was running a race with no…

Read More >
a photo of a woman peacefully meditating while others around her try to distract her with urgency

The Productivity Myth: Why Being Busy Isn’t the Badge of Honor You Think It Is

Not long ago, I caught myself ending a day feeling depleted but not satisfied. I had bounced from meeting to meeting, replied to dozens of emails, checked off a handful of tasks, and still felt like I’d somehow missed the mark. I paused and asked myself, “Was I productive today or just busy?” It’s a…

Read More >
photo of two baby owls nested in a tree

Lead with Wonder: Why Awe Is a Leadership Skill Too

Sometimes leadership lessons show up in feathers. There are baby owls up the street from my house, and lately, they’ve become the talk of the neighborhood. It started with one neighbor posting a picture and then another sharing a sighting. Pretty soon, folks were gathering under the trees, standing shoulder to shoulder in the quiet,…

Read More >

The Stoop Archive

Search the Stoop archives for topics that you‘re interested in:

Sign up for the latest updates from The Stoop—where conversation and community come together.