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Lead from the Front, Sides, and Back.
True leadership isn’t about always being out front. It’s about knowing when to set the pace, when to walk beside your team, and when to step back so their work is seen and celebrated.
Mandy Smith
Sep 223 min read


Are You Avoiding Providing Constructive Feedback to Be Kind—or to Stay Comfortable?
If You Really Care, You’ll Speak Up
Leaders often confuse comfort with kindness. They avoid feedback under the banner of being “nice” or “supportive,” when in reality, they’re letting fear drive inaction.
Let’s be clear:
Ignoring poor behavior doesn’t protect feelings.
Withholding feedback doesn’t help people grow.
Silence isn’t kind—it’s passive.
If you care about someone and their career, you owe it to them to offer the kind of feedback that helps, and here is a frame
Mandy Smith
Sep 93 min read


You’re Good at What You Do. So Why Aren’t You Further Along?
Your career is yours. You have to own it!
Mandy Smith
Jul 152 min read


Important Leadership and Life Lessons from Reality TV?
I have a confession to make. Many of you will judge me. That's fair. Here it goes: I love reality competition shows. Most are garbage....
Mandy Smith
Mar 282 min read


Stop Waiting for Someone to Map Out Your Career—Create Your Own Future!
Let’s talk about something I see all the time —and maybe you’ll see yourself in one of these: You’re waiting for your boss or...
Mandy Smith
Mar 262 min read


Resilience: The Most Essential Leadership Skill
So many articles and posts start with the same acknowledgment that everything is moving quickly and rapidly changing. Just this week, how...
Mandy Smith
Feb 164 min read


Leadership Demands Clarity
We have such a tendency to overcomplicate and undercommunicate. Every organization has its own jargon and commonly used phrases which...
Mandy Smith
Feb 33 min read


The Hidden Gifts in Setbacks
Sometimes, a setback, delay, or failure turns out to be the greatest gift. It can be exactly what we need, even if it doesn’t feel that...
Mandy Smith
Dec 29, 20243 min read


YOUR GAME. YOUR RULES. TAKE THE FIELD!
Ever caught yourself holding back because of what others might think? Been there. Done that. I was playing mind games with myself. I...
Mandy Smith
Nov 20, 20241 min read


Rising to the Challenge: The Leader's Guide to Building Confidence and Unleashing Potential
Think about a time in your career when you felt accomplished, like you really did something significant. Perhaps it was completing a huge...
Mandy Smith
Nov 3, 20244 min read


Trust: The Secret Ingredient to Team Performance!
Hey there! I trust you are having a great day! Speaking of trust (see what I did there?), it’s one of the most critical components of a...
Mandy Smith
Oct 27, 20243 min read


Navigating Conflict and Challenges with Reframing
Conflict and difficult situations are inevitable in the workplace. How we perceive and react to these challenges can significantly impact...
Mandy Smith
Oct 23, 20244 min read


Proximity Doesn't Equal Culture
More and more organizations are bringing their staff back to the office. I hear over and over that part of the reason is because the...
Mandy Smith
Sep 10, 20242 min read


Common vs Effective Leader
Common Leader: We are falling behind and not on target to hit out goals this quarter. We need to get with the team and figure out what...
Mandy Smith
Aug 15, 20242 min read


Culture Determines if a Team is a Winner or Loser
I was half paying attention to the NFL draft and got to thinking. What makes a winning team? What makes a losing team? Culture. It's...
Mandy Smith
Aug 15, 20241 min read


Unlock Your Team's Potential with a Team Charter
Leaders have a lot they have to juggle. They need to guide their team so they can meet their goals, provide the tools they need to do so,...
Mandy Smith
Aug 12, 20242 min read


Things I Learned from (My Son’s) Army Basic Training
Watching my son experience Army Basic Training has been inspiring. The experience transformed him profoundly, and he and I had the...
Mandy Smith
Aug 12, 20242 min read
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