Wireback Works, Lancaster, PA (2026)

10/13/2026

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak about something I think we all do more often than we realize: We go on autopilot.

We react. We assume. We move quickly. We fall into familiar patterns.

And sometimes, the most important thing we can do is simply notice.

After the session, someone came up to thank me. They told me the conversation helped them recognize where they had been on autopilot. And, more importantly, it helped them see one way they could choose to respond differently.

That stayed with me. Because that’s really what I hope this work does.

Not give you a perfect formula for leadership.

Help you notice.

And then find your way in.
☀️ Curiosity
☀️ Conversations
☀️ Connection
☀️ Care

Sometimes one small shift in how we show up can change what happens next.

Thank you SHRM Greater Valley Forge for a great evening of learning, sharing and exploring together!

10/06/2026

“Wow. Someone actually explained accountability really well.”

That’s the reaction I hear every time I share this video from Michael Landers in a leadership training.

It makes me wonder how often we ask for accountability without having a shared understanding of what we mean.

In a recent leadership session, we explored what this asks of us as leaders:
• Clear expectations
• Curiosity about what happened
• Honest conversations
• Ownership and follow-through

We also talked about the conversations we avoid.

Sometimes we confuse being kind with avoiding discomfort. But waiting leaves people without the clarity they need, and the issue keeps growing.

For me, accountability starts with looking at my own part.
Have I been clear?
Have I addressed the concern?
Have I followed through on my commitments?

This video always opens up a good conversation. I’m curious what it brings up for you.

10/05/2026

Every day at work, we make thousands of assumptions without realizing it. We assign motives, interpret silence, and decide what other people meant—all before a conversation ever happens. Those stories influence our emotions, our behavior, and ultimately our culture.

In my talk at DisruptHR Central Pennsylvania I'm going to challenge our biggest blind spots and offer a simple but powerful alternative: replacing certainty with curiosity.

I hope you will join us for a fun night where we also get to learn and share it with a room full of HR pros, and speakers who will challenge you think a little differently.

You don't want to miss it!

Grab your tickets at https://lnkd.in/ezz-bFSG

09/21/2026

I came across this quote last night and it made me pause and reflect, and it is still lingering with me today, so I had to share:

“The best mentors don’t just teach us how to do something well. They quietly change what we believe we’re capable of.”

It made me think about the people who saw something in me before I could fully see it myself. The ones who encouraged me, challenged me, gave me an opportunity, asked the right question, or simply made me believe I could do something I wasn’t yet sure I could do.

Sometimes we don’t realize the impact someone has had on us until much later.

And sometimes a quote just reminds you to be grateful for them.

09/08/2026

How do we become the leader we want to be?

I know for me I saw examples of what I didn’t want to be and those really stuck with me.

The manager who was rude.
The one who wasn’t really listening to me when I said what I needed.
The one who created fear.

Those experiences really stayed with me. They taught me how I didn’t want others to feel around me.

But upon reflection, I see how impactful other leaders were. The ones who taught me what was helpful, how I could choose to show up, how to be me.

She told me I didn’t need to put in the long hours – to do good work and go home at the end of the workday.
He modeled learning new technology and supported me to learn too.
She showed me you could be a strong female leader in a male dominated arena.
He gave me opportunities before I even knew I was ready.
She coached me to ask questions and be confident.
He encouraged me to share my ideas.

Not all of these individuals were my direct leaders, but all of them influenced the leader I became.

Your team members are learning from you all the time.

They learn from how you respond when something goes wrong. Whether you listen when they tell you what they need. Whether you make room for their ideas. Whether you see potential in them before they can see it in themselves.

We won’t get every moment right.
We will overreact.
We will get frustrated.
We will handle something in a way we wish we hadn’t.

But those moments give us another opportunity—to acknowledge what happened, take responsibility and show that we can choose differently next time.

And when we have something helpful to teach, model or share, we need to make space for that too.

Because we don’t always know which moments will stay with someone.

We may be shaping the kind of leader they will—or will not—choose to become.

09/03/2026

Your next leader may already be leading.

They just don’t have the title yet.

They’re the person others naturally turn to.

The one who asks “why?” instead of only “what’s next?”

The one who takes ownership when something goes wrong.

The one who can handle a setback without needing someone else to step in and fix it.

Potential doesn’t always show up in a performance review.

Often, it shows up in the everyday moments we’re too busy to notice.

And once you see it, development doesn’t have to begin with a formal program or a promotion.

It can begin with one small stretch:

🔹 Ask them to run the meeting instead of attend it.
🔹 Let them own a decision while you serve as the sounding board.
🔹 Invite them into a conversation they normally wouldn’t be part of.
🔹 Let them present their own work to leadership.
🔹 Give them the chance to mentor someone else.

Then talk about what happened.

What felt hard?
What went better than expected?
What would they do differently next time?

That cycle of➡️ trying, reflecting, and trying again - is where confidence begins to grow.

And it matters for more than succession planning.

It tells people: 🌟There is a future for you here.

Building bench strength isn’t something you do someday.

It’s one small opportunity you offer someone this week.

In my latest blog, I share more about how to spot emerging leaders—and what to do once you see the potential.

👉 How to Spot Your Next Leaders

09/01/2026

I walk Teddy daily on a path at a park that surrounds several different sports fields along the way.

Years ago, one of the really little kids kicked a soccer ball that came flying across the path and hit Teddy. He's only a 12-pound bichon, so that soccer ball was pretty big compared to him, and I'm sure it hurt.

That happened years ago.

Yet every time when we are close to that particular field and there are little kids playing, or he hears that noise of a ball being kicked, Teddy’s behavior changes.

He starts scanning the field. Looking all around. I believe he’s assessing if he's safe. Sometimes he keeps walking. Sometimes he looks up at me. Sometimes he pulls way out into the grass to avoid even the possibility of getting hit again.

His body remembers.

As I watched this happen with him, I realized how often the same thing happens with us.

🔸A leader gets criticized in front of others.
🔸An employee speaks up and gets shut down.
🔸Someone takes a risk that doesn't go well.

The event may be long over, but the body remembers.

Then we wonder why people hesitate to speak up, avoid difficult conversations, or seem resistant to change.

We see the behavior. We don't always see the story behind it.

Watching Teddy also reminded me what leadership looks like.

🔸I don't drag him past the soccer field.
🔸I don't tell him he's overreacting.
🔸I stay beside him.
🔸I reassure him.

If he walks right by the field, I celebrate it.
If he needs to walk wide through the grass that day, I support him there too.

Either way, we keep moving forward.

And somewhere along that walk, it hit me.

👣This is the way in.

So often we try to push people toward better performance, better communication, or greater confidence.

But maybe the way in is something different.

Sometimes the way in is curiosity instead of assumptions.

Sometimes it's a conversation instead of silence.

Sometimes it's creating connection so people know they aren't facing it alone.

Sometimes it's simply showing care until they believe it's safe enough to try again.

Because people rarely grow when they're forced.

They grow when they feel safe enough to take the next step.

08/06/2026

Recently, I spent an hour on a project that should have taken twenty minutes.

I stepped away for lunch, came back, and the solution was obvious.

Same project.
Same person.
Different mindset.

It was a good reminder that productivity is not always about pushing harder.

Sometimes, it is about creating enough space to think clearly.

Leaders set the tone here. When we model constant busyness, our teams notice.

Healthy productivity starts with protecting our own capacity.

In my latest blog post, I share a few practical ways to create more space for focus, planning, and better work.

https://www.wirebackworks.com/blog/create-space-for-focus-not-busyness

What could you protect one hour for this week?

08/03/2026

We use surveys and focus groups to get feedback.

One reason they are valuable is they capture what employees have not felt able to share directly with their leaders.

With an outside facilitator and a confidential process, people often feel safer telling the truth.

They share concerns, frustrations, ideas, and experiences that may have gone unspoken for months—or longer.

When employees tell an outside facilitator what they cannot tell their own leader, the issue is not a lack of opinions. It is a lack of confidence in what will happen when those opinions are shared.

A survey should not be the only place employees believe they can tell the truth.

Honest conversations require more than asking, “How is everything going?”
Leaders must:
🔸Ask specific questions
🔸Listen without immediately explaining
🔸Respond with curiosity rather than defensiveness
🔸Follow up so employees know their feedback was heard and acted on

➡️What might your team be willing to share on a survey that they are not yet willing to tell you?

07/27/2026

As the train passed by, I began noticing the beauty and uniqueness of it.

Each car was different.
Some were shiny. Some were covered in graffiti. Some were old, and some were new.

Different shapes and sizes, yet all traveling together with the common purpose of getting to the next destination.

Feedback can be like that too.

It comes in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes it is wrapped in a shiny exterior. Sometimes it arrives a little rough around the edges.

But the purpose of helpful feedback is the same - to help us learn, grow and move forward.

The challenge is that how we receive it, and how we respond is shaped by every experience we have had with feedback.

When our experiences have been bad, we may shield and protect ourselves from feedback. When our experiences have been harsh, we anticipate it will be harsh. When our experiences have been all glowing, we anticipate good, and constructive feedback may catch us off guard. And when we have received very little feedback, we may have no idea what to expect.

This is why context and relationship matter.

Before offering feedback, we need to create space to understand one another:
🔸What would make this feedback useful?
🔸How does this person best receive it?
🔸Have we built enough trust for an honest conversation?

Feedback may come in different forms. What matters is whether it helps the other person move forward.

Wireback Works

10/13/2026

10/06/2026

10/05/2026

09/21/2026

09/08/2026

09/03/2026

09/01/2026

08/06/2026

08/03/2026

07/27/2026

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