1715 W. Dean: An Open Letter to Al

1715 W. Dean: An Open Letter to Al

Dear Al, I found out late Friday that you are declining to pursue my offer to purchase your building. An investor wants to buy several buildings from you.  Admittedly, I know very little about the commercial real estate business. I don’t know how long you’ve owned...
Is the Process Flawed?

Is the Process Flawed?

The word that most often comes out of my mouth with my team as we seek to continually improve our service to clients is process. If there’s a problem, my default is always to ask about the process. Is a process refinement needed? How can we update our process to...
It’s Always Something

It’s Always Something

It’s always something: a sick mother, a dying aunt, a relationship breakdown, or a baby on the way. If it’s not happening in my life, it’s happening in someone else’s, and if it’s not happening today, it will be happening tomorrow. In my company: two dozen people,...
On Mothering and Work

On Mothering and Work

I got an email this morning from a woman who is interested in exploring work with my company. She asked if she could bring her 3 month old baby to a coffee meeting. I wonder if it took courage for her to ask, or what she expected my answer might be. As often as...
Self-Talk, Limits, and Finishing Strong

Self-Talk, Limits, and Finishing Strong

I’ve run 7 marathons in 5 years. When I first started training for distance, I had a favorite mantra: all I have to do is finish. I didn’t entertain the possibility that I would quit, but I also didn’t set any strict expectations on myself for finishing times....