Handling Being Out of Control

Recently, I experienced one of those stretches in life that of wear on you. Nothing horrible, just things were tougher than usual. And it felt like it was coming from all sides - work, family/home, even our broader community. Now, I've been around long enough that I know things are cyclical and that, with a...

The Best Way to Ask For Help

We've all been there. Feeling stressed, overwhelmed and not sure how we're going to get through the next few hours much less see something through to the end. I remember one time when I was completely overwhelmed at work with a huge project and tight deadline. I stayed late nights and worked through weekends trying...

Who Needs to Know This?

When I was managing a larger team, I started asking myself the question after every big "discovery" - where I learned something that I thought was impactful in some way - "Who needs to know this?" It took some practice to both make this a habit and to make sure I reached the right people...

Defusing Tough Situations at Work

I have this belief that I try to follow both at work as well as in my personal life - that whoever loses their temper first tends to be the one who loses in the end. Granted, there are a few exceptions to the rule but, generally, I've found that those who keep their wits...

Are You a Do-Over or a Go-Forward Person?

I want to start this post by asking a question - what do you spend a lot of your time thinking about? Are you usually looking towards the past and things that have happened and wondering what you might have done differently or missing what's gone, or are you always looking at what's coming down...

Never Have I Ever

To close out the year - and to start in on my next set of 100 posts - I thought I'd start with something a little more lightweight and fun. Most of us have probably played some form of "Never Have I Ever" where people take turns sharing things they've never done. Even as an...

Celebrating 100… With Mr. Rogers

With this post, I officially cross the "century" mark. Incredible as it seems, this is the one hundredth entry of "What If" and, to celebrate, I'm sharing a post that I've been working on for over a year a little at a time. And I happily redirect the milestone spotlight to the incredible Mr. Fred...