by Joanie Connell | Jul 14, 2026 | AI, Blog, Communication, Leadership, Listening, Technical Leaders
Artificial intelligence is not only changing how we work, it’s also changing how we communicate with each other. Ironically, as AI gets better at generating words, many organizations are finding it harder for people to connect. Friction occurs when technical...
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...
