Soft Skills & Emotional Intelligence

Ever had someone bump into you in passing and you end up saying “sorry” ? Have you apologized for simply following up on an email? Why do so many of us apologize for things when we’ve done nothing wrong? 🥲 (I’m guilty of it, too!) The words you use at work shape how people see you — and how you see yourself. One small habit that silently weakens your presence? → Overusing “sorry” when there’s no need to. I wrote an article for CNBC about this exact thing. In it, I shared how over-apologizing sends a message you may not intend: that you don’t fully believe in your value, your ideas, or your right to be in the room. Here are a few quick swaps you can start using today: 1. Instead of: “Sorry I’m late.” Say: “Thanks for waiting.” 2. Instead of: “Sorry to follow up.” Say: “I’m checking in to see when you plan to review the document.” 3. Instead of: “Sorry, can I add something?” Say: “I’d like to add a quick thought.” Small changes, big difference. Your language is one of your strongest tools for building credibility and influence. Want more swaps and tips? Check out my article: https://lnkd.in/gdgW3Uri Want more practical ways to communicate with confidence? Grab my bestselling book Unforgettable Presence: https://amzn.to/4jm8SvD 📘

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲. - You need clarity. - You need respect. - You need space to protect your well-being. Some of the hardest lessons I’ve learned didn’t come from being treated unfairly. They came from not setting boundaries soon enough. If you want to thrive at work without burning out, here are 5 boundaries worth setting (and none of them make you “difficult”): ☝🏼 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗳𝗳-𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 → Just because you can reply after 7pm doesn’t mean you should. ✌🏼 𝗦𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 → Your value isn’t tied to being constantly available. 🤟🏼 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳 → Silence helps no one. Especially not you. 🖖🏼 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 → You can be helpful without being a doormat. 🖐🏼 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀—𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿𝘀 → Invest in what helps you grow, not just what keeps others comfortable. Boundaries aren’t walls. They’re doors to healthier, more sustainable careers. What’s one boundary you’ve set that changed the way you work?

Here are 8 habits I rely on (and often suggest to others) to stay ambitious without burning out: 1️⃣ Give your ambition a time limit. Think of deep work like a meeting with your future self. Block 90 minutes early in the day, silence your phone, and go all in. When the time’s up, stop, even if you’re mid-flow. Boundaries build focus and prevent work from spilling into everything. 2️⃣ Have a “minimum viable evening.” Pick one thing that helps you unplug, cooking dinner, a walk at sunset, reading to your kid, and treat it like it’s non-negotiable. That one ritual signals the end of the workday and gives your brain a clear off-switch. 3️⃣ Check your energy, not just your to-do list. Every Friday, jot down which tasks gave you energy and which drained it. After a few weeks, you’ll see patterns. Start removing or outsourcing one draining task at a time. Over time, your schedule will start to feel less like a grind. 4️⃣ Stick to two big projects. If you’re wired to chase new ideas, this one’s hard, but worth it. Limit yourself to one main focus at work and one personal goal. Everything else goes into a “not now” list you revisit monthly. Less chaos, more progress. 5️⃣ Plan for lighter weeks. Athletes don’t train hard every day, and neither should we. Once a quarter, block a week with fewer meetings, more sleep, and no extra side projects. Building in rest makes you more resilient and keeps burnout at bay. 6️⃣ Move your body, clear your head. Doesn’t have to be fancy. A short workout, a run, yoga, anything that gets your heart rate up will help you reset and stay sharp. Exercise isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a focus tool. 7️⃣ Short naps, big reset. Around that post-lunch slump, a 10–20 minute nap can seriously recharge you, no grogginess, just a clean mental reboot. Set a timer, close your eyes, and treat it like hitting refresh. 8️⃣ Group your tasks by vibe. Instead of switching between totally different things all day, chunk your time into themes, meetings, deep work, admin, etc. Then batch similar tasks together. Your brain stays in one lane longer, which helps with momentum. Start small, try one of these this week. You don’t need to slow down your ambition to feel more in control.

I was lucky enough to have my team grow from 6 to 800 people in 9 years. I was promoted from Senior Manager to Director to Vice President, and I had imposter syndrome the whole time. Here are 4 ways I fought it, and how you can too: It is no surprise that when my team grew 130x from 6 to 800, I ended up not fully knowing what I was doing. At the same time, it is hard to say no to opportunities when you have experienced downsizing and setbacks. So, as the chance to take on new tasks and challenges was available, I said yes. There was definitely an element of "fake it until I make it" in the whole process. It is also true that most of the leaders above and below me were in the same situation. Because of the unprecedented growth of Amazon through these years, most of my managers and direct reports were also in the largest and most complex jobs of their lives. While I cannot know the inner workings of their minds for sure, I feel confident that many of them had similar feelings of imposter syndrome. Action 1: If you worry that you are in over your head, or that people might find out you don't completely know what you are doing, realize that this is normal. Action 2: Understand that it is normal to be in the largest and most complex job of your life for much of your career. If you are not, it often means you have either stepped back intentionally or that you have suffered a setback (like a layoff). Growth inevitably means doing harder things than ever before. Action 3: Get help. Be open with your mentors on what you need. You do not have to share all your worries to lay out your challenges and ask for advice. If you are in an environment where admitting “development areas” is unacceptable, turn your language around and ask for "help optimizing performance and delivery." No one will be against optimization, and it amounts to the same thing - getting insight on any gaps and places to improve. Action 4: Hire a coach, therapist, or counselor if you need one. To be top performers, we need a strong mental game. As leaders, particularly of knowledge work, our whole performance comes from our minds. None of us would hesitate to go to a doctor if we were sick, or a trainer to develop our bodies, so getting help with our mental performance should be a no-brainer. However, there is hesitation and sometimes shame in getting help with our mental game. Readers: I really want to create a short course on fighting imposter syndrome and developing a strong mental game to help with these common challenges. What mental challenges are you fighting? If you have overcome typical worries either in a specific job or long term, share what you did please.

Most people think imposter syndrome is a career killer. But it’s not. It’s a signal. 📍 You’re growing. 📍 You’re stretching. 📍 You’re doing something that matters. 🧠 62% of high achievers experience imposter syndrome at some point in their career. (Salari, et. al, 2025). Yet most don’t talk about it. They just try to hide it, and hope no one notices. And the endless mental loop gets louder: → “Don’t let them find out.” → “I should be more confident by now.” → “Maybe this means I’m not ready.” But I’ve learned that feeling like an imposter doesn’t mean you’re not qualified. It means you’re in the arena. I remember when I became a company officer and joined a board at 27. On paper I felt I had made it. And inside, I was bracing, like someone might tap me on the shoulder and say, “Hey… we made a mistake.” I later learned that feeling didn’t mean I didn’t belong. It meant I was stepping into a new version of myself. And it’s a feeling I’ve seen show up again and again in brilliant, hardworking leaders who are quietly carrying so much. When you stop fighting imposter syndrome, you stop performing from fear, and start leading from power. Here’s how I co-exist with it and teach high-performers who feel it too: 1. Separate feelings from facts → “I’ve done hard things before. I’ll figure this out too.” 2. Use doubt to fuel mastery → You don’t need to feel ready. You just need to keep showing up. 3. Talk back to the critic → “What if this is the version of me that rises?” 4. Track your wins like data → Keep a ‘Wins Portfolio.’ Pull it out when your inner critic gets loud. 5. Redefine success on your terms → Not their finish line. Yours. You don’t need to silence imposter syndrome. You just need to understand what it’s trying to tell you. Because once you stop fearing it… you unlock the part of you that’s been ready all along. Imposter syndrome isn’t your enemy. It’s your upgrade code. ❓What’s one imposter moment that ended up being a breakthrough for you? Tag someone who needs to hear this today. ➕ Follow Loren Rosario - Maldonado, PCC for raw, real career rewrites that feel like coaching. 📊 Sources: Salari, et.al. (’25) 📸 Quote: Steven Bartlett #Careers #LeadershipDevelopment

You cannot wait on confidence to arrive. You have to built it —one bold move at a time. Here’s the truth: Most of the women I coach aren’t walking into new roles, new industries, or promotions already confident. They’re unsure. They have self-doubt, too. They’ve read the job description 17 times and still think they’re missing something. I've been there. In meeting rooms I didn't belong, and should have been quiet. I had less experience and industry knowledge, but found moments to speak up, share a small idea, stay persistent when I believed in something, and slowly possibilities started to unravel. What separates professionals who stay stuck from the ones who step forward: 💡 They shift from “I'm not good enough to “I believe in my potential” That one tiny mindset tweak? It changes everything. → “I am not good enough" shuts down the opportunity for you to tap into your strongest capabilities. → But "I believe in my potential" opens up space. It says: “Maybe I’ve never done it before. But I’m capable. I’m resourceful. And I’m willing to try. And I deserve to try" Confidence isn’t a requirement for your career. It’s a result. You don’t build it by waiting. You build it by doing. By trying. Failing. Trying again. And saying yes before you feel 100% “ready.” So next time your inner critic says you're not good enough. You get to answer back.

What happens when productivity becomes your worst enemy, leading to burnout? Well, I’ve been there. A few years ago, my routines stopped moving me forward. I was hitting deadlines but losing clarity and passion. I thought I was being productive, but it turns out, it was burnout in disguise. Burnout doesn’t come with flashing signs. It sneaks in. You tell yourself finishing that next task will make everything okay. You say yes to another meeting, thinking high performance demands constant action. But when the excitement is gone, the sleepless nights pile up, and your mind won’t stop racing, you realize productivity isn’t about doing more. Here’s how I reclaimed my productivity and fought burnout: 1️⃣ Pause and Reflect Productivity isn’t doing more. It is about doing what matters most. 2️⃣ Prioritize Energy, Not Just Time Time management matters, but energy management is essential. Protect your mental, emotional, and physical reserves. 3️⃣ Set Boundaries Saying “no” can be one of the most productive things you do. Guard your focus. Recognize burnout before it’s too late: • Feeling drained even after rest • Constant mental overdrive • Irritability / losing interest in what excited you • Checking tasks but feeling unfulfilled True productivity isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what aligns with your purpose. Takeaway: Productivity and burnout often walk a fine line. Success doesn’t come from endless work. It comes from knowing when to pause, recharge, and focus on what truly matters. Hit the 🔔-> Alex Wisch for more insight on #Productivity, avoiding #Burnout, and improving #Performance.

Exhaustion isn’t leadership. It’s neglect disguised as dedication. 👇 A leader once told me: "I haven't taken a real day off in years." They wore their exhaustion like a badge of honor. But behind the late nights and endless emails was something darker. The weight of unsustainable expectations. Burnout isn’t a leadership requirement. It’s leadership neglect — of yourself and your people. Healthy leaders build healthy teams. Your capacity to lead others depends on your capacity to sustain yourself. Rest isn’t weakness. It’s a leadership responsibility. Here are 5 ways leaders can protect their own energy: 1️⃣ Schedule unplugged time ↳ Block off time weekly where you’re fully offline. 2️⃣ Model boundaries ↳ Show your team that logging off is expected, not punished. 3️⃣ Delegate decisively ↳ Stop carrying work others are capable of handling. 4️⃣ Protect sleep and health ↳ Prioritize rest, exercise, and proper nutrition like your job depends on it — because it does. 5️⃣ Say no more often ↳ Guard your calendar like your leadership depends on it — because it does. ❓ How do you model healthy boundaries for your team? ♻️ Repost if you believe rest makes leaders stronger. 👋 Follow me (Dr. Chris Mullen) for practical tools to lead without burning out.

Success shouldn't cost your sanity. 5 simple boundaries to protect your peace: I used to think that being successful meant being always available. Always responsive. Always on. But behind the scenes? I was stretched thin, snapping at everyone, and silently wondering why I felt so off. Even when everything looked “right” from the outside. Turns out, success that costs your sanity isn’t success at all. Here are 5 simple boundaries that shift everything ✨ 1) The Digital Cutoff ↳ Put your phone away 60 minutes before bed ↳ Your sleep quality will transform immediately 2) The Inbox Schedule ↳ Check email at 10am and 3pm only ↳ Tell your team when to expect responses 3) The Morning Shield ↳ No screens for the first 30 minutes of your day ↳ Start with intention, not reaction 4) The Meeting Buffer ↳ Add 5-10 minutes between calls ↳ Your brain needs transition time to perform at its best 5) The Personal Priority ↳ Schedule "unreachable hours" with loved ones ↳ Be fully present when it matters most (you will never regret this) Boundaries aren't selfish. They're a necessity ✨ Which boundary makes the difference for you this week? -- ♻️ Repost to help your network protect their wellbeing without sacrificing results 🔔 Follow Dr. Carolyn Frost for more practical strategies for success without burnout

One of the finest freedoms in the journey of professional life is this: when your identity is no longer chained to your job title, your employer, or the office you report to. True liberation comes when who you are rises above what you do in a workplace. At that point, you begin to understand that your essence is larger than your business card. Many are imprisoned by borrowed symbols—Chief Executive Officer, Senior Manager, or Analyst. These are important labels, but they are temporary markers in the seasons of professional life. They can be given; they can be taken. But when your personality is anchored on YOU, no company can define you. You carry your own “equity” into every room. In my experience, the most successful professionals are those whose relevance is not tied to job titles. When people respect you because of your title, the day the title changes, you vanish. But when respect comes because of YOU the person, no restructuring or economic downturn can erase you. A lady deleted her profile here because she lost her CFO role in a popular fintech which was largely her life. Her life was this fintech and when the job disappeared, she literally could not continue without the associated “title”. That was unfortunate. Good People, career liberation is resigning from dependence on job titles to shape your self-worth. It is about building depth so that, whether you are called “Intern” or “Chairman,” you remain the same person, delivering and commanding respect. That is the new wealth in this age—the wealth of identity, beyond the walls of companies and offices. When you attain this state, every organization becomes privileged to have you, not the other way round. Become the definition of your career, not your job title, and through that have the greatest career liberation.