Leading Edge Advisory Partners

09/10/2026

Accountability and empathy aren’t opposites. Strong leaders know you need both.

Hold people accountable for the expectation. Stay curious about what’s behind the result.

That’s where better conversations—and better leadership—begin.

09/08/2026

Career change can feel a lot like starting over. It isn’t.

Every role you’ve held has given you something—skills, experience, relationships, lessons, and probably a few things you now know you don’t want.

Career clarity isn’t about throwing all of that away and reinventing yourself.

It’s about stepping back long enough to ask:

What do I want to take with me?
What am I ready to leave behind?
What do I want to build from here?

Sometimes the next chapter isn’t about starting over at all.

It’s about using everything you’ve learned to make a more intentional choice about what comes next.

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day!

I’ve always thought of this weekend as the unofficial end of summer. The last barbecues. The last summer vacations. The last of those long, warm summer days.

At the same time, it marks a beginning. A new school year. Football season. Cooler temperatures. The holidays suddenly appearing on the horizon.

Today is also a good reminder that there’s a lot we take for granted about how we live and work. Weekends. The eight-hour workday. Workplace safety. Overtime. Benefits. None of those things simply appeared. Generations of workers fought for them.

So today, I’m especially appreciative of the people whose work makes our lives possible—past and present. I have a particular appreciation for the tradespeople who build our homes, keep our electricity and water running, repair our roads, maintain our communities, and do so much of the work most of us simply expect to get done.

Happy Labor Day to everyone who works hard, builds things, fixes things, teaches things, cares for people, serves others, and keeps this country moving.

View the full image in ChatGPT.

08/30/2026

If you want more from your career, join me for my complimentary live workshop, Career Clarity: Stop Feeling Stuck and Start Moving Forward, on August 26 at Noon Pacific.

Before the workshop, you'll complete a complimentary Career Clarity Assessment to help you better understand where you are today and where you want to go next.

Register at https://us05web.zoom.us/meeting/register/jYzMDS9hRcOUheHxn-RGCg

08/29/2026

08/28/2026

Trust Requires Communication

One of the biggest leadership lessons I learned wasn't about performance management or strategy--It was about assumptions.

Early in my career, I found myself in situations where I thought people understood the expectations because they had been discussed once.

Sometimes they did.
Sometimes they didn't.

Other times, people filled in the blanks themselves. They assumed why a decision had been made. They assumed what leadership meant. They assumed someone else's intentions.

And almost every time, those assumptions created unnecessary frustration.

I've learned that when leaders don't communicate, people naturally create their own stories to explain what's happening.

Those stories are rarely accurate.

The conversations I've avoided, delayed, or assumed didn't need to happen almost always became harder later.

Clear communication doesn't eliminate every misunderstanding. But it gives trust a chance to grow.

Trust isn't built because people assume the best.

It's built because leaders communicate clearly.

What's one conversation you've been putting off that could create more clarity—for you or someone on your team?

08/27/2026

If you're ready to go deeper, join me for my complimentary live workshop, Career Clarity: Stop Feeling Stuck and Start Moving Forward, on August 26 at Noon Pacific.

Before the workshop, you'll complete a complimentary Career Clarity Assessment to help you better understand where you are today and where you want to go next.

Register at https://us05web.zoom.us/meeting/register/jYzMDS9hRcOUheHxn-RGCg

I'd love to hear your thoughts after you watch the video.

08/26/2026

Your first job teaches you more than just how to earn a paycheck—it helps shape the habits you'll carry throughout your career.

Whether it's showing up on time, communicating professionally, taking initiative, or keeping your commitments, those early habits have a lasting impact.

This quote is one of many practical lessons from my book, "So, You Want to Be a Grown-Up?"

If you'd like a signed copy, message me directly instead of ordering through a bookstore. When you purchase from me, you'll also receive my complimentary Parent & Mentor Discussion Guide (PDF)—a great resource for helping young adults navigate the transition to independence.

📘 Message me for details or to order your signed copy!

08/25/2026

What if nothing changed?

It's a simple question—but it can reveal a lot about whether you're truly happy with the direction of your career.

In this week's ELEVATE: Career Clarity video, I explore why asking yourself this one question can be the first step toward making meaningful career decisions.

If you're ready to go deeper, join me for my complimentary live workshop, Career Clarity: Stop Feeling Stuck and Start Moving Forward, on August 26 at Noon Pacific.

Before the workshop, you'll complete a complimentary Career Clarity Assessment to help you better understand where you are today and where you want to go next.

Register at https://us05web.zoom.us/meeting/register/jYzMDS9hRcOUheHxn-RGCg?utm_source=chatgpt.com

I'd love to hear your thoughts after you watch the video.

08/24/2026

People Grow Faster When You Coach Them Than When You Catch Them

Some of the best people I've ever worked with didn't come to me with years of experience.

They came with curiosity.
A willingness to learn.
And a "let's figure this out" attitude.

Early in my HR career, I hired two people—Valerie and Jessica—who had tremendous potential but very little experience. We weren't simply building an HR department; we were learning together.

There were plenty of mistakes.
We rewrote documents.
Changed priorities.
Started over more than once.

But I learned something that shaped the rest of my career: People rarely grow because you point out everything they're doing wrong.

They grow because someone believes in them enough to teach, encourage, and challenge them.

That's what coaching is.

It's asking questions instead of giving every answer.
It's helping someone think through a problem instead of solving it for them.
It's creating an environment where learning is expected—not feared.

I've certainly had moments when I focused too much on perfection. Looking back, those were rarely the moments when people grew the most.

The greatest growth came when people felt safe enough to try, learn, and improve.

Think about the person who helped you grow the most in your career.

Did they spend more time correcting your mistakes—or helping you discover what you were capable of?