“What do I do if my team asks me a question and I don’t know the answer?” asked my coaching client, eager to learn how to be a more effective leader of her team.
I have heard this many times in my years of experience as a facilitator and coach. It’s rooted in the fear that many leaders feel of being viewed as weak, incompetent and unable to perform.

Recently, a heartfelt and unexpectedly complicated rescue mission unfolded on a busy Toronto sidewalk. Three baby sparrows had fallen from their nest, nestled high in a white pine tree and only one remained alive after being attacked by ants.

“I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow” – Woodrow Wilson

Have you ever thought how fortunate you are to have team members, whose brains you can “borrow”? Are you using those brains effectively?
Delegation involves entrusting tasks to others and empowering them to contribute to the collective goals of the organization. Yet, its significance extends far beyond mere task distribution; it embodies a philosophy of leadership that fosters growth, development, and efficiency within teams.

“You see what I have to deal with”? my coaching client would ask throughout our early coaching sessions. Then followed a cascade of complaints about this or that team member – and I say “team” very lightly, as the people who reported to him hardly functioned as a team. How could they, I wondered, if she was so critical of them, and complained so much.

Jerome is a very busy executive at a leading academic institution. In our second coaching call, I asked him to track how he spent his time over 3 days. Here’s what he found: He spends 3 hours PER DAY on emails!

True or False? Women can have it all.

Happy International Women’s Day! Today, we celebrate the innumerable achievements and contributions of women around the world.
Even as we celebrate, I think it’s crucial to address an “elephant in the room”: the pressure placed on women to “have it all.” But what does that really mean? And more importantly, what does it mean for you, personally?

At the end of each of my workshops, be it strategy facilitation, leadership development, culture articulation, or team alignment, I ask participants to make a simple personal commitment:
“Write down one action you commit to make to put into practice what you learned.”

My team and I were excited. A few months before I had made the decision to invest in an automated CRM. I was tired of having to rely on the CRM that took up space in my head, of to-do lists and post-it notes all over my office to remind me to follow up leads so that I can convert to clients, and of falling short in structured follow up and contact after projects.

New Year Resolutions are notorious for being relegated to the dustbin within a few days of the start of the new year. My son, who is a personal fitness trainer is very busy for the first few weeks of the year.

One thing I really miss about living in Jamaica are the Christmas parties! Organizations go all out to have the most fun, exciting and rip-roaring events, literally vying to be the talk of the town!

Where is joy in dark times? It’s difficult to find it when there is, as Bob Marley sang:
“War in the east
War in the west
War up north
War down south
War, war
Rumours of war”

“We are having a 2-day retreat next week, at (fancy-schmancy resort hotel). It’s for about 24 people. We need a facilitator, but we don’t have much of a budget. Are you available”?
In my 4 decades of facilitating retreats, I have heard this quite a few times. My simple answer is: “So sorry. I am not available”.

“I thought that when management went on a retreat on the North Coast it was all fun and games. I didn’t realise that you really did some serious, hard work” said one of the young special invitees to the corporate retreat I facilitated a few weeks ago.

Silence is a spiritual practice of most religions. It is exhorted as a place to go, a state of being where one taps into inner wisdom. Those who regularly practice silence can attest to how calming and life-affirming it is.

As I countdown to the departure of my flight to Budapest for my vacation, I have found myself floundering. Trying to manage the stress and angst of things to do before I leave, I am realising that I won’t get all of them done.

As leaders grapple with our increasingly complex and uncertain world littered with rapid and unforeseen changes in technology, climate, global economics, demographic movements and political systems, the urgency of improving their strategic thinking skills looms large.

I was facilitating a Leadership Development workshop. Simone turned on her video and apologised for her low energy. She was feeling the impact of the heat, working from home, with no air conditioning.

I have been pondering the necessity to buy another bookcase to house my ever-expanding book collection. Typically, these were acquired on a whim, made super easy by Amazon’s click and buy function and next day delivery.

A few weeks ago, I completed my first assignment as a Flight Angel when I answered the call by the Montego Bay Animal Haven (MBAH) to take a puppy on my flight from Kingston to Toronto. This sweet pup, Nesta (formerly Ella, but now Nesta in honour of the beloved Robert “Bob” Nesta Marley) had her “furever” home awaiting her in Vancouver.

My friend Chris is a wayfinder. Every time I go through the Union Station in downtown Toronto, I think of him and wish the powers that be had hired him to help people literally find their way in this newly (and it seems never ending) redesigned transit hub.

I had the extreme delight of being led by these wonderful guides on various adventures over the last 7 years. Each are from different countries and cultures and led vastly different experiences with different groups of people. They work with G-Adventures, my go-to company for adventure travel.

One of the very first questions I ask a new coaching client is when last they took a real vacation. I am an unapologetic vacationphile, so I’m always amazed at how many leaders don’t take real vacations i.e., vacations with purpose and intention, unplugged and disconnected from work. I have coached many a client in this, and they are amazed when they can actually do it. But it takes quite a bit of planning and preparation.

“How are you”? I asked two C-suite executives I reconnected with at a conference recently.

“Stressed” they chimed in unison.
“Busy” one quickly asserted.
“Busy is an understatement” the other added, just to make sure I got it.

“Well it doesn’t have to be that way you know …”

I was about to launch into the benefits of mindfulness meditation in managing stress, but paused when I noticed the looks on their faces.

“Love is the answer” – easy to say, but so difficult to do.
I look at the crises in my home country Jamaica, and in Canada, my new home, the war in Yemen, Ukraine and other hotspots, the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, political turmoil in the USA and many other countries, and innumerable crises begging for solutions knowing that what we are doing is not working, or not working fast enough.

Many years ago, when I ran my family’s door manufacturing business, our master joiner, Mr. Samuel Reid, drowned.
Mr. Reid’s workstation was right below my office on the mezzanine floor of our factory. I would often look down and marvel at him working. He was a quiet, decent man who worked with patience, meticulousness and well, love.

In a Strategy Kickoff event that I facilitated on Sunday, a fairly new member of the team asked the CEO what’s important to him when hiring people:
“Be nice and mannersable”
The room fell quiet, a silent gasp visible from the looks on people’s faces. That’s it? Yes, he answered. That is all.

Welcome to the new year!
Many of us are making our resolutions, full of hope – confident that 2023 will be different, better, more – THE year when our dreams come true, when we are the best we can be.

This is a very deeply personal post, in which I am opening a very vulnerable space. Note that I may ramble a bit because emotions don’t flow in neatly edited, linear fashion. They are messy.

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” – William Shakespeare

In your quiet moments, do you sometimes feel like this about your leadership? Perhaps you are going through a difficult situation and you feel that you are all alone, or a crisis looms and you don’t know where to turn or what to do.

“I have bad news”

I was in a meeting with my team planning and executing the launch of my mindfulness meditation online programme. This was my first online programme, so there had been lots of learning. We were set to launch the next morning.

If this has ever happened to you, read on ….

I slipped up on my morning ritual over the last few days. It had been a super busy week with 3 workshops to prepare for and facilitate, and 2 proposals to write

You arrive at work, whether at the office or your desk at home. Sleep eluded you last night, you are devoid of energy and dreading the overscheduled work day. But work you must. Yet you know that if you stay in this emotional place, you will accomplish very little, and will get to the end more frustrated than ever.

5.00 a.m. on a cold, dark November morning in Nepal. Snow gently fell, making the narrow path up the steep mountain that much more treacherous. We had started out at about 4,800m above sea level, the air at this altitude bereft of oxygen.

Many years ago, when I had my facilitation firm in Jamaica, I read an article in a 1999 edition of the Harvard Business Review entitled: “The Strategic Power of Saying No” by Susan Bishop. It was so powerful that my team and I coined a term – “SPOSN”

I’m noticing quite a bit more discord in the workplace nowadays. We can lay it at the feet of the pandemic, and the disruption it brought to our daily living, how we work, our relationships at home and work (in many cases the same during this time) and our mental and emotional state.

In one of my recent sessions of “The Practice of Leading Joyfully”, my signature Leadership Evolution Program, we were discussing the importance of the Morning Ritual to ground yourself and prepare for the day.

The plane touches down on the tarmac. If you are on a flight to/from Jamaica, there’s probably a round of applause, and maybe a “Thank you Jesus” or “Praises to Jah”.

Over the last two weeks, Silke, my amazing team member who manages my website, blog, and newsletters, went on a well-deserved two-week vacation. I had planned to write all content for posting before she left, but wasn’t able to, due to other pressing commitments.

“Where am I to find the time to read Marguerite? There are only 24 hours in the day, and I feel that I need at least 30 to do all the things I have to do now, much less read.”

What do Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Mark Cuban have in common? They are avid readers, with a robust daily habit of reading. Leaders read. Author Michael Hyatt identifies 5 benefits of reading for leaders

As I prepared for my first adventure travel trip in over two years – 12 days trekking in the Andes and the Amazon – the overwhelm of what seemed like a ton of things to do threatened my sanity, my sleep, and frankly, my joy.

Tanya has a problem. As Vice President of Sales and Marketing at a financial services firm, she has experienced a severe shortage of staff over the last year or so. A results-driven professional, she was concerned that her targets were in jeopardy if she did not have her full team in place.

Now I see my body changing in other ways, and these changes perplex me, for they seem to have no reason. Yet I know they must. The loosening and wrinkling of the skin, the achiness of bones, tightness of muscles, the movement south of tummy, breasts, butt, arms … everything, it seems, is changing.

Daniel, one of my star coaching clients, has long delayed taking vacations because he worried that his team wouldn’t be able to cope. 3 months ago, he shared that during his recent vacation, his team members really pulled together.

8 workshops, 16 days (including weekends).

I was full of joy – “inna mi ackee” as I shared in a video on LinkedIn. That’s how Jamaicans express unimaginable joy. I loved being with my client of 15 years again – 2021 being the only year we had missed an annual strategy review.

“Do you have time for a very quick chat? Nancy let me know that she’s received two job offers recently and it seems one of them may have caught her eye”.

Have you noticed the word “love” popping up more and more in business literature? Certainly, when I was doing my MBA at Harvard Business School many decades ago, I don’t recall ever hearing “love” spoken about in class. I welcome this progress.

A few months ago, I came to the realisation that blogging was no longer joyful. Since February 2013, I have been posting a blog every fortnight (more or less). I had enjoyed my espresso machine-like writing process – the sparks of insight, days of mulling, reflection, then the spurt of writing that in a matter of hours produced a blog.

How mindful are you at work? To be mindful is to live in the present moment. That is hard enough to do on a meditation cushion, and in the stillness of the morning or evening, but even more so in the cut and thrust of a busy workday.

Even before the pandemic smashed into all 7.8 billion of us on this planet, there was an emerging buzz about a “new” technique that every leader had to do. As far back as 2015, highly respected business publications like Harvard Business Review, Forbes and Inc. were speaking to the benefits of this magical tool for leaders – and I have been blogging on it since 2013! What is it?

“I’m tired of blogging”
I texted my friend Ingrid Riley, my go-to advisor on all things digital.
“Well stop” she replied in a voice note, her tone strident in its instruction.
So I did. I emailed Silke, who posts my blogs, to let her know I am taking a break from blogging.
But this morning, I woke up and thought that I should let you, my loyal subscribers and readers, know.

The post-lockdown movement back to the office has accelerated, with most organizations planning a return in the fall.
What should leaders be considering?
One of my favourite books on leadership is “A Sense of Urgency” by John Kotter. Kotter speaks to the importance of a true sense of urgency in leading change.

“I need your help in getting my team to engage in deep thinking about our strategy”, Richard (not his real name) said when he asked me to facilitate his annual strategic plan review. A long-time coaching and strategy client, he recognises how drastically our world has changed over the last 18 months.

Leaders read. Why? Because leaders are learners, and reading is a great way to learn.
Warren Buffet reads 500 pages a day; Mark Cuban reads 3 hours a day; Bill Gates reads 50 books a year; Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Tony Robbins are all avid readers.

Why is a coach important?
Coaches provide structure to the enquiry. I learned from facilitation and even further back, from my experience managing manufacturing businesses, about the value of process. In manufacturing, you start with inputs (raw materials) and end with outputs (finished goods).

“Marguerite. I would love to have a call with you about my retirement” emailed my client, “It’s 5 years away but I want to get things in place from now, and I need some guidance”. On the same day of our call, I saw a post on social media of someone I knew announcing her retirement.

What is a business book? What qualifies as a book on leadership? To my mind, it’s any book that brings insight about my work, how I serve my clients and what lessons I can share with them. I have a very eclectic list of business books, to which I have added: “Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones”.

This Monday was a public holiday in Canada and many countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. Most people were at home due to the pandemic. In Jamaica, the holiday marks Labour Day, a day on which the entire country focuses on community projects. Not this year. Jamaica was under curfew from 3.00 p.m. Sunday to 5.00 a.m. Tuesday. Everyone stayed home.

The cornerstone of my coaching and leadership development programmes is the crafting of your Personal Leadership Vision. Why do I do this?
Just like you, my clients are already leaders in their organizations, and very accomplished and successful. However, they come to me because they want to do and be more. They want to lead better and more powerfully.

Who first said: “Failure is not an option”? Was it some military general of yore leading his troops into battle with the enemy in pursuit of victory for country, honour and life? Or a visionary entrepreneur with some potentially disruptive technology, driven by his/her goal of dominating or even eliminating the competition?

The most scarce resource that a leader has to manage is time, his or her own, and the time of others. The workplace is driven by time. There are specific hours for starting and ending the workday and for taking breaks, with some having to physically clock in and out.

How mindful are you at work? To be mindful is to be aware of the present moment, what’s happening and who you are being NOW. That is hard enough to do on a meditation cushion, and the stillness of the morning or evening, much less in the cut and thrust of a busy workday.

I was 23 years old, with a cherubic face that looked more like 16, all of 5 feet tall, when I assumed the mantle of Managing Director of my family’s door manufacturing business. I struggled with how best to lead the group of 70 hardened and rambunctious male employees, well aware that I needed to be seen as strong, assertive and no walk-over.

“Look at my week Marguerite!” Daniel had indicated prior to our fortnightly coaching call that foremost on his mind were the endless meetings that cluttered his days. He was feeling overwhelmed, time-strapped and frustrated in not being able to devote the time necessary to close important deals for his company.

Before ZOOM, there were face to face meetings. And they were a problem.
There were too many, and they were too long, lacked focus, had the wrong people present, and were poorly designed, conducted or chaired. In a word, or phrase, many meetings were considered a waste of time – “colossal” was an oft-used adjective.

We greet 2021 with anticipation and apprehension after the battering that 2020 gave us. We are grateful that 2020 is over, but wondering what will 2021 bring? Will it be more of the same?

Time moves on, at the same pace it always has. For us humans, infinitesimal specks in the sweep of time and space, time had a different cadence in 2020, at times grindingly slow, at others, swooshing past faster than we could cope.

December’s here at last, and all eyes now turn eagerly, yet perhaps with some trepidation, towards 2021. No doubt you have completed your organisation’s plan and budget for 2020.

Many of us wish we could write off 2020. It has been a most tumultuous year, even for people like me, who try to view the glass as “full to overflowing, appearances to the contrary”.

Times of great uncertainty challenge our ability to be hopeful, yet call for us to keep hope alive. On the one hand, when we are in the abyss, it’s dark and difficult to see the way forward.

How mindful are you at work? To be mindful is to live in the present moment. That is hard enough to do on a meditation cushion, and in the stillness of the morning or evening, but even more so in the cut and thrust of a busy workday.

Even before the pandemic smashed into all 7.8 billion of us on this planet, there was an emerging buzz about a “new” technique that every leader had to do.

My January 16, 2020 blogpost had me in stitches as I packed for my 1-week vacation last week. I just couldn’t stop laughing. It was entitled: “Want to have a great 2020? Make sure to schedule your “ebb time” now!

Our world is quieter now – less traffic on the road and in the air, reduced economic activity, and a slower pace of life. On the other hand, people are in turmoil, with much inner noise and drama as they try to navigate the uncertainties each day brings as best they can.

Last week, I was speaking with a new LinkedIn connection. It was a “getting to know you call” – the virtual reality of coffee at Starbucks. She shared that she had successfully defended her doctoral thesis last year.

“The next 3-5 years will remind us that COVID-19 was the lightning before the thunder” * This sentence in a Fast Company article, reinforced a creepy feeling that this pandemic will be a longhaul adventure.

“Nothing to do, nowhere to go” I first learned this a few years ago as a walking meditation in a “Meditation and Writing” class. It is based on the book of the same name, authored by the beloved Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hahn.

When the ground beneath us is shaking, what do we hold on to? How do we steady ourselves? One tool that I draw upon daily is affirmations.

Why was I laughing, my neighbours were probably wondering – not a “ladylike” titter but a big, out loud guffaw (what Jamaicans call a “dutty laugh”)?

As the lockdown eases, and our economies “reopen”, what should leaders be considering?I was speaking with a client earlier this week, getting updated on how his business was faring.

How do we deal with the uncertainty of knowing what will happen next in this pandemic? Is it possible to even get to the point of “delicious ambiguity” as Gilda Radner posits?

I got a shock last week when my client turned up for his ZOOM call in a suit and tie. I commented on this and we had a brief conversation about the ridiculousness of wearing suit and tie as standard dress in offices in Jamaica.

I returned to Toronto from Jamaica on March 5, having completed the last of 3 Strategic Planning assignments for beloved clients there. They were clear on their strategy, and I was clear on mine.

By now, many of us are working from home, and are finding it’s a HUGE adjustment. In this vlog, I share 3 temptations that I have experienced over 27 years of working from home.

By now, many of us are working from home, and are finding it’s a HUGE adjustment. In this vlog, I share 3 temptations that I have experienced over 27 years of working from home.

We are hearing a lot of “working from home”. But how do we lead from our home? In this video, I share 3 things I believe are critical for leaders to effectively lead their teams virtually. Please do not hesitate to call or email me with questions, or to discuss any of the points I made.

In the pre-dawn darkness, I raised my wrist, tapping my Apple watch to check the time. 4.27 a.m. I had been awake for at least 30 minutes, thoughts of the Covid-19 virus weighing heavily, pushing all prospects of sleep further away.

“Marguerite! You are not listening to me!” Wade blurted, his voice at a pitch, likely honed from his years as a professional cricketer, shouting to his teammates on the field.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single small step”
How do you get your team members to improve their performance?

Have you ever got the feeling that someone believes they are indispensable? Have you ever heard people say things like:
I am the only one who can do this job;
Without me, this project/team/organization would fail;

We are already halfway through the first month of 2020, and I want to make sure that in your planning for this year, you have scheduled something very important to you, your loved ones, your team and your organization – you ebb time!

As 2019 comes to a close, you might be considering how to be more productive and efficient in 2020. As you make big plans, consider the small things you can do that might have HUGE impact.

Gratitude is ingrained very early in our lives. One of the first things our parents teach us is to say “Ta” when we receive something.

Two Leadership Lessons from Bob Marley in Nepal

“Where you from?” people asked, as I trekked through the mountains of Nepal.

“Jamaica.” I replied, and then added, noting the blank stares that indicated that they had no idea what or where Jamaica was: “Bob Marley.”

For some strange reason, over the last 3 weeks, many of my clients have sought my advice on how to “deal with” millennials. I gave a simple answer…

For some strange reason, over the last 3 weeks, many of my clients have sought my advice on how to “deal with” millennials. I gave a simple answer…

Last week, my friend and tech entrepreneur and investor, David Mullings, shared a Harvard Business Review interview featuring Kevin Johnson, Starbucks CEO.

It’s said that bad news comes in 3s … I certainly had my fill of bad news in the last 2 weeks. 3 proposals: 3 rejections. My immediate, and I must admit prolonged response was to.

Keith (name changed), my coaching client, was bemoaning the impact that travel was having on his quality of life and home relationships.

Caribbean people are great storytellers. We were brought up on the oral traditions of our ancestors, when the right to read and write was forbidden to them. Yes, we are now literate, and enjoy reading, but oh how we love a good storyteller.

Oh, for “those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” … they’re finally here! Many of you will be taking time for well-deserved vacation.

Twice last week I found myself sharing the above Jamaican saying with my coaching clients. In each case, they had requested an urgent call with me for help on how to deal with a particularly difficult person at work.

Corporate Governance starts at the very highest level – the Board, and filters throughout the entire organization, with management having the responsibility for implementation. It is something that you MUST take seriously.

Murder was on my mind … for an atom of a moment. Then I came to my senses, knowing that it was an accident, born out of the best of intentions.

I recently addressed 120 beautiful ladies, members of Lean In Canada, as part of an event: “Make This Your Year: What Can You Do Better in 2017?” This is the substance of my talk, which I hope will help you to make this your best year!