by Joanie Connell | Aug 28, 2025 | Blog, Leadership, Managing Change, Technical Leaders
In my work consulting to technical leaders, I often observe that while technology may be advancing exponentially, the human side of work remains as essential and as complex as ever. Today’s STEM leaders, in pharmaceuticals, tech, and healthcare, for example, are...
by Joanie Connell | Jul 23, 2025 | Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, Technical Leaders
I recently attended a training by David Caruso, one of the preeminent researchers of Emotional Intelligence and co-author of the highly regarded MSCEIT (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test) assessment instrument. In the training, he discussed the...
by Joanie Connell | May 9, 2024 | Communication, Flexible and Limber, Leadership, Listening
I was in an executive meeting not too long ago and one of the other team members wanted to raise the cost of the company’s biggest product. I was strongly opposed because I thought it was already too expensive and I was concerned that we’d lose sales, or at least...
by Joanie Connell | Jul 21, 2023 | Blog, Influencing, Leadership, Technical Leaders
No matter where you are in the organization, it is important to be able to influence people. Take for example, David, a team leader in a technology company who was tasked with leading a cross-functional team to develop a new software product. David didn’t have direct...
by Joanie Connell | May 1, 2023 | Coaching and Mentoring, Leadership
How do you get comfortable delivering feedback to people? How do you do it in a nice way, so it’s not awkward or demeaning, but not so nice that it gets ignored? Here are some tips. First, let’s acknowledge that giving feedback can be hard, especially if you don’t...
by Joanie Connell | Jan 25, 2023 | Careers, Leadership, Values
Authenticity has resurfaced as a buzzword in the workplace. In the early 2000s, authentic leadership became popular in response to Bill George’s 2003 book called Authentic Leadership. Leaders found that being more genuine and transparent helped them build trust among...
