Resilience and Human Nature

  by Beth Masterman and Fernando Morais What if you knew you would emerge from a difficult challenge stronger, wiser, and even more resilient than before? How would you feel knowing the instant you become aware of possible disaster that the decisions you make will be the right ones? If you are a leader who […]

Executive Coaching with ‘What if?’ – Regrets, Paralysis, and the Learning Edge

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Executive Coaching with ‘What if?’ Regrets, Paralysis, and the Learning Edge by Beth Masterman, President – Masterman Executive Coaching, Inc. Alex walked into the room and sat down with a bright smile that soon faded to a look of concern. “How would you like to use our time together today?” I asked. Alex responded, “I […]

Are You Stuck? Why Stay?

Inertia Why do you stay? Why don’t you say something? Has anyone ever asked you those questions? I bet they have. And I bet you’ve asked others, including yourself, one or both. The fact is, we all stay in situations that we no longer have the use for, that we no longer belong in, or […]

Enlightenment

When was the last time you were enlightened? Have you noticed how the intensity can vary from insight to rapture to genius? When greater understanding or resolution of a lingering question presents itself, do you liven up and pause to grasp it? A fresh idea, or simply re-understanding what we thought we knew, can bring transformative feelings of […]

Note to Self: “You Are Not In Prison”

It is a beautiful Friday summer afternoon and you have had a long, challenging, deadline driven workweek. There is one more assignment to go before your weekend will begin with a date at 7:30 pm. Your boss has twice reviewed the document due next week, edited it, and asked for additions and deletions. One more […]

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes: Why We Hang On To What We Know

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes [1] David Bowie’s song “Changes” has a celebrated stutter, Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes while he wonders “I still don’t know what I was waiting for…”   The song strikes a personal chord for many listeners because in the period of time it takes to utter those halting four syllables (ch-ch-ch-ch), individuals and organizations will react with shock then paralysis or cautious […]

Deflategate: The Need for Certainty and Trust in Delegation

Certainty is comforting. It feels good to know what is right and what is wrong. Certainty builds confidence because with it, consequences are predictable, expectations and boundaries are clear, and certainty brings peace of mind by providing order to our experience of the world. Certainty can also be overused and morph into inflexibility and an […]

Resistance: “To be, or not to be…” | To do, or not to do…

Wrestling with inner conflict about whether to do something now, or later, or never, is a battle so fundamental to being human that Prince Hamlet’s famous lament “To be, or not to be…”[1] is among the most memorable questions of all time. Hamlet struggles to decide between enduring another day of life, with all its […]