Month: January 2024

Have you thought about the type of leader you are?

Posted on January 31, 2024 by - Uncategorized

Have you thought about the type of leader you are?

I am a student of leadership. First of all, I love the concept of inspiring, developing, and challenging others while imagining and driving towards a future state. But mostly, the dynamism of leadership and the continual advancement that takes place in the study of leadership challenges me to stretch and grow myself as new facets of leadership are advanced.

Last week, at a workshop for about 20 mid-level managers, we talked about management and leadership, and the thought that the “command and control” leadership style is (hopefully) a thing of the past. What has replaced it? A leadership style rooted in inspiration and trust, as highlighted in Steven Covey’s book Trust and Inspire: How truly great leaders unleash greatness in others, is a great place to start.

#WiseWords
“The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager has his eye on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.”
— Warren G. Bennis
Worth The Share

Talking about new leadership frameworks, Hitendra Wadhwa’s article, in the current issue of Harvard Business Review, does just that. Most of us learn about how to become a stronger leader by doing things like taking workshops, reading books, or doing online courses. Hitendra states that if you can “shift the emphasis from learning from the sidelines to leading in the moment, executives can achieve real breakthroughs”.

After extensive research and consulting work, he validated his approach of dynamic leadership that he calls leadership-in-flow, encouraging leaders to take as little as 10-15 minutes of preparation before a big event. Get yourself centered and be fully present so that you can appropriately respond in real time, and tap into the core energies as referenced below.

Built on “five types of energy, based on ancient wisdom and contemporary science”, they are:

  1. Purpose – committed to a noble cause
  2. Wisdom – calm and receptive to the truth
  3. Growth – curious and open to learning
  4. Love – connected to those you work with and serve
  5. Self-realization – centered in a joyful spirit

Read the article, Leading in the Flow of Work from HBR, or pick up the book “Inner Mastery, Outer Impact: How your five core energies hold the key to success”

And Finally...

In my last newsletter, I asked about your word of the year and was delighted to hear from many of you about your word, including elevate, fortitude, intentional, and thoroughness. Use this word to help guide you in 2024.

Building on that exercise, think about what type of leader you are. We are all, and can be, leaders at work, at home, with friends, and in our community.

Do you inspire others? Are you trustworthy and open-minded? Or are you leaning into the old models of leadership by being the type of person who sees the world as “my way or the highway”. Which of the five types of energy listed above do you want to further develop in yourself to become a more dynamic leader?

Have a great week,

Kind regards,
Mary Jo
To learn more about my 1:1 executive, communication or business growth coaching, custom virtual workshops, the Career Transition program or just to connect, you can reach me at info@mjrcac.com

What is your best time of day?

Posted on January 17, 2024 by - Uncategorized

What is your best time of day?



We all have a time of day where we are most productive, although it varies from person to person. According to HumanResources online, here is how they break it down. We are most productive in the:

  • Early morning, 34% between 6-9am
  • Late morning, 31% between 9am-12pm
  • Early afternoon, 20% between 12-3pm
  • Late afternoon, 9% between 3-6pm
  • Evening, 5% between 6-9pm
  • Late night, 1% between 9pm-12am


If you can arrange your schedule to best utilize the time of day when you are most productive, you will be more effective and efficient, and have higher job satisfaction.

When are you least productive? For me and 9% of the people in this study, anytime after 6pm is not ideal. For 28% of those surveyed, after lunch is when they are least productive. Think about that the next time you are trying to rally the troops to solve big problems after they have just eaten.

Beyond your most and least productive times of day, think about the types of tasks that you tackle daily. When is your best time to meet with team members? When is your best time to do intense work, or the simpler tasks that require less brain power?

#WiseWords
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
— Michael Altshuler, Author
Worth The Share

There is an art to effective time management. Taking breaks during the day has an impressive ROI according to this Workforce Index done by Qualtrics of over 10,000 desk workers around the globe. Workers who regularly take breaks have 13% higher productivity, have 62% better work-life balance, are 43% better able to manage stress, and have 43% higher job satisfaction.

The research reported that 70% of desk worker’s time at work was productive, with times of day when they were most productive varying widely. Three in four reported that end of day, between 3-6pm, is unproductive. “This goes to show that productivity isn’t linear. Productivity happens in bursts, on and off throughout a day, not necessarily in prescribed windows of time, and definitely not for eight consecutive hours. The  ‘afternoon slump’ shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing; for many workers this could be an ideal time to take that break that will boost their overall productivity for the day” said Christina Janzer, SVP of Research and Analytics at Slack. It goes on to say that if you can optimize your focus time, collaboration time, and the time you spend connecting with others and taking breaks, you will be able to function at your best. What is the right mix for you?

We all know that employee engagement at work is a problem. As a leader, if you can work with your team leads and team members to give careful consideration to what they can do to better maximize their time, there will be a myriad of benefits. Check out “The surprising connection between after-hours work and decreased productivity” to learn more.

And Finally...

As you reflect on your time management skills and areas for improvement, I have one more question for you. What is your WORD for the year? It is one of the things I consider annually.

This year, my colleague shared her word: RYTHM – at work, with her family, and with extra-curricular activities (she wants to take up dancing). Another friend is using the
word ACCCES, where each letter is the first initial of a focus area such as career, challenge and community for the three Cs. My word this year is ILLUMINATE – being open to new concepts and experiences, and being intentional with how I show up, serve and support others.

If you can’t think of a word, here’s a LIST of 300 possibilities, along with a meaning for each. Maybe before January is over, you’ll have your word for the year that reflects your values, intentions or vision for 2024.

Have a great week,

Kind regards,
Mary Jo
To learn more about my 1:1 executive, communication or business growth coaching, custom virtual workshops, the Career Transition program or just to connect, you can reach me at info@mjrcac.com

How deeply do you connect?

Posted on January 3, 2024 by - Uncategorized

How deeply do you connect?

Currently, I am coaching a few engineers and other professionals who are on a journey to learn how to better connect with people. While that might sound peculiar, not everyone has the innate talent to strike up a genuine conversation with new people.

There are numerous reasons why this may be the case, such as upbringing, introversion, or anxiety in social situations. Recently, I attended a charity event where there were over 100 women in a room. When I sat down at a table, a woman asked me who I can with, and I said I was alone. Her response “that was so brave of you”. This incident prompted me to reflect on how challenging it can be for many of us to enter a room full of strangers and make a meaningful connection.

How do you establish a genuine connection with others? There are many techniques to try and see what feels most natural for you, but the heart of connection boils down to three things: the ability to listen attentively, display empathy and ask thoughtful questions.

To truly listen to another human, you need to quiet the story in your own head. To be empathic, put yourself in the other person’s shoes and think about the situation from their perspective. To ask good questions, be mindful about what you are asking so that the questions are more specific. For example, “What are you looking forward to this week?” or “What most excites you about the new year?” Asking thoughtful questions  and deeply listening to the answers can be a game changer.

#WiseWords
“Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. stay eager.”
— Susan Sontag
Worth The Share

During the holiday break, I listened to compelling podcast from the Next Big Idea Club, with the author David Brooks whose book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen was published last October.

He talks about connection and his own personal journey to become a more empathetic and caring person. In a interview on PBS he said: “People feel invisible and unheard… and for society’s sake, it’s important we get a lot better at the skills of building relationships and understanding other people.”

In the podcast, he goes on to say that we vary widely in our skill to read each other accurately, quoting research from William Ickes that strangers in their first conversation when meeting someone read each other accurately only about 20% of the time, and for close friends and family members, that only jumps to 35% of the time where we read each other accurately, on average. David Brooks explains that the reason these percentages are so low is because of our own natural egotism, that sometimes it’s anxiety and/ or  that we’re locked into our own viewpoint and can’t see the other person’s point of view. “We are naturally a bit self-centered”.

Since I so often work in communication, I found this work quite compelling. To learn more, check out the podcast or get a copy of the book.

And Finally...

Happy New Year! As you think about the year ahead, perhaps add to your list a commitment to better connect with your colleagues at work, in your community, and of course, with your family and friends.

It is staggering to think that last April, Gallup reported that seventeen percent of U.S. adults reported that they felt loneliness “a lot of the day yesterday”. And while these numbers are better than they were during the pandemic, 17% translates to 44 million Americans.

Be present, listen and ask thoughtful questions.

Have a terrific week and an even better 2024.
Mary Jo
To learn more about my 1:1 executive, communication or business growth coaching, custom virtual workshops, the Career Transition program or just to connect, you can reach me at info@mjrcac.com