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Welcome to February - I hope your year is off to a great start!

If it's been anything like our household, it’s been a rocky one, with lots going on and many challenges. I often reflect on how life can be such an intense roller coaster of ups and downs – some days filled with stress, adversity, and overwhelm and others with fulfillment, joy, and relief.

There’s a great quote about life by L.R. Knost that is top of mind for me in times like this:

“Life is amazing. And then it's awful. And then it's amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful, it's ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That's just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it's breathtakingly beautiful.”

As we dive into February, I’d like to provide a few resources to help you manage the awful, amazing, ordinary, and everything in-between – with confidence.

Each day, we can embrace a new start as we face our challenges, learn and grow.

Thriving Family Podcast: Check out this episode all about boosting your - and your kids' - confidence. I was thrilled to discuss this incredibly important topic with hosts Barbara Stratte (one of my best friends since we were 14!) and her co-host, Tereza Fonda.

Here's what you'll learn in our conversation:

  • The difference between confidence and self-esteem.

  • The genetic component to confidence. (Did you know 50% of our confidence is built in?!)

  • How to shut down ruminating thoughts and negative self-talk.

  • Simple strategies to help you – and your kiddos – build confidence, including: taking action, identifying your strengths, and surrounding yourself with supportive people.

  • Four ways to change your “state” (and my favorite 2-minute hack to immediately build your confidence);

  • and more!

Lifehack Article: Check out this article for 10 Powerful Ways to Be More Confident. I’m excited to reshare this post as it's of the most popular articles I’ve published. With more than a quarter-million views, this topic clearly resonates with readers. In this quick read, you’ll get a step-by-step guide to build and maintain your confidence so you can tackle anything and everything life throws your way.

We all have crises of confidence and moments of self-doubt. But I leave you with this to consider: What can you achieve with the right amount of confidence? What impact would a little more confidence have on your work, relationships, and happiness? What can you encourage others to accomplish by bolstering their confidence?

Here’s to a great rest of the year filled with the confidence to seize opportunities, take chances, embark on the next steps in your life or career, and live a life you love.

You got this.

 
Featured
How To Escape The Curse Of Competence
competence, strategies, YES Filter, Zone of Genius
How To Escape The Curse Of Competence
competence, strategies, YES Filter, Zone of Genius

“If you want something done, ask a busy person.”

I’ve watched that saying prove true again and again over nearly 30 years of coaching and consulting. The capable people get tapped for everything.

Can you lead the presentation? Train the new hire? Fix the project? Join one more committee? Of course you can. You’re reliable, experienced and willing to step in.

But just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

My latest Forbes article explores what I call the curse of competence: getting pulled into work because you’re good at it, not because it is the best use of your strengths, supports your growth or brings you joy.

If you feel like you’re the one carrying everything, I wrote this piece for you.

Inside, I share:

  • How to recognize when competence has quietly become obligation

  • The real cost to your energy, growth and joy

  • A simple YES filter to use before automatically agreeing

  • Graceful ways to say no, redirect an opportunity or make room on your plate

This isn’t about becoming less helpful or less generous. It’s about protecting your capacity for the work only you can do.

The goal isn’t to do less. It’s to stop giving your best work away so you can be brilliant at the work that fulfills you.

Read more →
competence, strategies, YES Filter, Zone of Genius
Your Talent Development Budget’s Been Slashed. Now What?
AI, Budget, Talent, Training, Coaching, Teams, Investment, Leadership
Your Talent Development Budget’s Been Slashed. Now What?
AI, Budget, Talent, Training, Coaching, Teams, Investment, Leadership

A trend is evident across organizations: budgets are tightening, and talent development is often one of the first areas to take a hit. As investment in AI climbs, budgets for training, leadership development, and teambuilding are decreasing.

It’s logical on paper. AI is the future. It promises speed, efficiency, scalability, and cost savings. Organizations are transforming to meet future demands, and AI investments are vital for long-term success.

However, there’s a risk quietly building beneath the surface: we’re optimizing organizations through AI while underinvesting in the humans doing the work. That’s a dangerous tradeoff.

What happens when we inadvertently deprioritize the growth, development, and human connection of the people managing these AI processes – and everything else that keeps organizations running smoothly? The unintended consequences may not show up on a dashboard, in OKRs or KPIs today or tomorrow. But they will. Disengagement, eroded trust, and talent loss often don’t announce themselves until it’s too late.

As budgets shift and AI investment accelerates, the real question isn’t: How much can AI replace? Instead, it’s How can we best-equip humans to succeed and thrive in an AI-powered workplace?

The answer is not to slow AI development, but to match it with an equal and continued commitment to the human-forward development of people.

Read more →
AI, Budget, Talent, Training, Coaching, Teams, Investment, Leadership
​Change Leadership Made Simple: How Great Leaders Can Inspire Teams Through Uncertainty
​Change Leadership Made Simple: How Great Leaders Can Inspire Teams Through Uncertainty

After years of coaching leaders through change - and navigating plenty myself - I’m excited to share my latest Forbes Coaches Council article:

​Change Leadership Made Simple: How Great Leaders Can Inspire Teams Through Uncertainty.

Change is everywhere - at work and in life.

New initiatives. New strategies. New technologies. Shifts in leadership, roles, objectives. Career transitions, promotions, layoffs.

Sometimes we choose it. Sometimes it chooses us. But we’re all experiencing something new.​

Read more →
Self-Awareness: The Leadership Game-Changer
self-awareness, leadership
Self-Awareness: The Leadership Game-Changer
self-awareness, leadership

We all think we know ourselves. But do we really? In this article I wrote for TalentCulture, I discuss how leadership self-awareness isn’t about good intentions or taking one personality test—it’s about consistently understanding how your behavior affects others.

If you’re thinking, “I’ve done the work”, here’s the catch: you may think you know yourself. Odds are, you mostly do. But real self-awareness isn’t static. And the blind spots that held you back five years ago? They may still be showing up in subtler, more impactful ways.

When leaders fail to recognize that they might be the problem, their teams suffer—and so does business performance.

Read more →
self-awareness, leadership
Power Of The Pause
Power Of The Pause

One of the more undervalued and less frequently discussed behaviors of great leaders is the ability to pause— to step back and stay calm under pressure. Pausing is a critical yet often overlooked skill that allows a leader to block out the noise, chaos, and competing opinions of others and identify the best way forward.

In this Forbes article, you’ll learn to master the power of the pause with one of my favorite leadership tools --- the AHA Method.

Where can you start using the power of the pause in your leadership and life?

Power Of The Pause

Read more →
Survival Isn't Success: Leaving A Toxic Work Environment
toxic, toxic workplace, accept, change, leave, quit, happiness, success, toxic environment
Survival Isn't Success: Leaving A Toxic Work Environment
toxic, toxic workplace, accept, change, leave, quit, happiness, success, toxic environment

Many of us have experienced the murky waters of a work culture gone wrong. In this article on Forbes, I unpack the signs—and impacts—of a toxic work environment and what to do if you find yourself there.

Survival Isn't Success: Leaving A Toxic Work Environment

Read more →
toxic, toxic workplace, accept, change, leave, quit, happiness, success, toxic environment
Creating A Collaborative Workplace: Six Strategies That Actually Work
collaboration, leadership, team dynamics, productivity
Creating A Collaborative Workplace: Six Strategies That Actually Work
collaboration, leadership, team dynamics, productivity

We all know that collaboration is critical, but many leaders struggle to harness it effectively. Leaders can't simply tell their team to “Be more collaborative!” They must dedicate time and intentionality to making it happen. This Forbes piece is chock-full of tips and strategies to get back to basics and effectively foster a collaborative environment.

Creating A Collaborative Workplace: Six Strategies That Actually Work

Read more →
collaboration, leadership, team dynamics, productivity
Have you Heard of "Lucky Girl Syndrome?"
#personaldevelopment, #leadershipcoaching, #livealifeyoulove, #luckygirlsyndrome, #katiecouricmedia, #toxicpositivty, #powerofpositivity, #authenticity, #betruetoyou
Have you Heard of "Lucky Girl Syndrome?"
#personaldevelopment, #leadershipcoaching, #livealifeyoulove, #luckygirlsyndrome, #katiecouricmedia, #toxicpositivty, #powerofpositivity, #authenticity, #betruetoyou

I was thrilled to be contacted by the team at Katie Couric Media to weigh in on a timely topic called, “Lucky Girl Syndrome.” I had a wonderful discussion with the reporter on the benefits of positive thinking, the downfalls of toxic positivity, and how “luck” plays a role in creating the lives of our dreams. We talked about the seductive and trendy nature of "manifesting" and the importance of "putting in the work".

Read more →
#personaldevelopment, #leadershipcoaching, #livealifeyoulove, #luckygirlsyndrome, #katiecouricmedia, #toxicpositivty, #powerofpositivity, #authenticity, #betruetoyou
Bring on the Confidence!
#personaldevelopment, #leadershipcoaching, #livealifeyoulove, #confidence, #boostyourconfidence, #chaseyourdreams, #beconfident
Bring on the Confidence!
#personaldevelopment, #leadershipcoaching, #livealifeyoulove, #confidence, #boostyourconfidence, #chaseyourdreams, #beconfident

Looking for ways to build your confidence? Check out this podcast and article to help you - and your kids -have the confidence to seize opportunities, take chances, embark on the next steps in your life or career, and live a life you love.

Read more →
#personaldevelopment, #leadershipcoaching, #livealifeyoulove, #confidence, #boostyourconfidence, #chaseyourdreams, #beconfident
How to Figure Out Your Next Career Move
#personaldevelopment, #leadershipcoaching, #livealifeyoulove, #nationalcareerdevelopmentmonth, #careeradvice, #careercoaching, #careerchange
How to Figure Out Your Next Career Move
#personaldevelopment, #leadershipcoaching, #livealifeyoulove, #nationalcareerdevelopmentmonth, #careeradvice, #careercoaching, #careerchange

If you’re considering making a move or looking to develop your career further, this is a great time to take a step back, and reflect on what’s most important to you and what you want for your future. In this article, you’ll learn what’s going on with this seismic shift in careers, why it can be so hard to make a move, and five clear and simple steps to take if you’re ready to make a change.

Read more →
#personaldevelopment, #leadershipcoaching, #livealifeyoulove, #nationalcareerdevelopmentmonth, #careeradvice, #careercoaching, #careerchange
 
Tracy Kennedy's BlogTracy Kennedy#personaldevelopment, #leadershipcoaching, #livealifeyoulove, #confidence, #boostyourconfidence, #chaseyourdreams, #beconfident