Jo McDermott

Executive Development

  • Mentor Me, Mentor You

    Find a Mentor.  Use a Mentor. Be a Mentor. I’m sure you’re always hearing the advice that you need a mentor.  In fact, you’ve even heard it from me.    Why do people keep giving that advice?   There is research that  supports… Continue reading

  • Leaders Don’t Give Up

    Leaders Come In All Flavors I have recently had the opportunity to watch some really good leaders in action.  They were all different kinds of people.  They were different genders, ages, backgrounds and experience.  The thing that I noticed that… Continue reading

  • Stick with Your New Year’s Resolutions: Find Your Gateway Habits

    Another Year, Another List Do you make the same New Year’s Resolutions year after year?  Save money.  Lose weight. Get a new job. Get a promotion.  Spend more time with the family.  Do you ever get your resolutions done?  How… Continue reading

  • Should Your Subordinates Like You?

    Should you be liked OR respected? This post is a follow on to my last post, Underground Relationships.  One of my readers said that he had a boss tell him that people working for you shouldn’t like you, just respect you.  He… Continue reading

  • Undercover Relationships

    Undercover Boss One of my guilty pleasures is the TV show Undercover Boss.  I know it is probably orchestrated and you only get to see the powerful parts, but I love watching it.  I am constantly amazed at how amazed… Continue reading

  • Your Last Minute Isn’t Always Your Best Minute

    I’ll Stop Procrastinating.  Tomorrow. I used to put things off to the last minute.  I told myself it was because I worked better under pressure.  That is what you would call a rationalization.  We frequently rationalize our negative behaviors.  I… Continue reading

  • Are You Incompetent? Unreliable? Probably.

    Competence and reliability and trustworthiness are in the eye of the beholder.  You know how hard you work.  You know how much you are stretched across many deliverables for many people.  You know that you’re doing the best you can… Continue reading

  • Brand Schmand. Defining Who You Are.

    Branding When you think of Coca Cola what comes to mind?  The iconic bottle?  The taste?  What about Apple?  Or Amazon?  Or Chanel?  If products are well-branded then when you think of them, you think of the product, the name,… Continue reading

  • Wanna Be Happy At Work?

    We spend an awful lot of time at work to spend our time there unhappy. So, if you’re unhappy at work, you need to do something about it.  Years spent unhappily at work are wasted.  There are four ways to… Continue reading

  • Personal Change Management

    Personal Change Management Is More Important Than OCM “Organizational change management” is usually listed on job descriptions as a required skill for executives.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a critical job skill.  Personal change management is just much more… Continue reading