Blogs

patterns escalate

Patterns Escalate at This Time of Year: Complete Them or Repeat Them, Your Choice

By Sylvia Lafair | December 4, 2025

Explore why family patterns escalate during the holidays and learn simple shifts that transform your reactions, relationships, and leadership.

the leadership trifecta

The Leadership Trifecta: Why Expectations, Accountability, and Follow-Up Make or Break Your Team

By Sylvia Lafair | December 2, 2025

Master the leadership trifecta of expectations, accountability, and follow-up to build trust, reduce drama, and elevate leadership impact.

The Patterns We Pass

The Patterns We Pass at the Thanksgiving Table: A Lesson in Leadership, Love, and Letting Go

By Sylvia Lafair | November 24, 2025

Summary: Thanksgiving has a way of shining a spotlight on the people we love most and the patterns we pass around, but would prefer to keep in the pantry with the canned cranberry sauce. Let this year be a day of gratitude and learning. Keep reading about how to make this time with family and friends…

the next big shift in leadership

The Next Big Shift in Leadership Development: Stop Guessing and Start Leading with Confidence

By Sylvia Lafair | November 20, 2025

Summary: Let’s get one thing straight: you, as a leader, don’t need more theories. Or frameworks. Or another shiny workbook that sits gathering digital dust. You need integration. That elusive moment when the light bulb goes on, and it stays on long enough for behavior to actually change. You can do it as long as…

the stoic leader

The Stoic Leader: Steady Rock or Stone Wall? The Pattern Truth Behind the Calm

By Sylvia Lafair | November 17, 2025

Summary: Stoic leaders are having a moment. Podcasts gush about calm. Every leadership guru raves about equanimity. And half the world is clutching Marcus Aurelius quotes. This is only one part of leadership. It is the glimmer of the mind. Read on to see what works and what doesn’t. Dear Dr. Sylvia, Until now, I…

Two focused professionals studying complex data on a glowing digital screen, symbolizing the importance of head heart gut alignment in leadership decisions.

Lost in Logic™: When Leaders Ignore the Voice Beneath the Data

By Sylvia Lafair | November 13, 2025

Summary: Here is a more complete way to view your behavior at work. In the new leadership science, your head analyzes, your heart connects, and your gut predicts. When they’re aligned, decisions flow. However, if they’re not, chaos follows. Read on for new ideas. Dear Dr. Sylvia, It’s all my fault! I was the final…

Young boy in white suit and blue sunglasses holding money, representing childhood wounds and leadership development.

Lost in Childhood ™: How One Leader Faced His Past Before It Finished Him

By Sylvia Lafair | November 11, 2025

Summary: Most leaders don’t realize this, but destructive workplace behaviors rarely begin at work. They begin in childhood, long before the corner office, long before the first promotion, long before the first glass of wine at a client dinner seemed like no big deal. Keep reading. This is a need-to-know issue important for long-term success.…

A cartoon-style hand pointing outward through torn paper, symbolizing authority and self-awareness in sounding like my parents at work.

Help! I Sound Just Like My Parents at Work

By Sylvia Lafair | November 6, 2025

Summary: You know that moment. You open your mouth, and your mother or father comes out.“Do you think we’re made of money?” or “Turn off the lights; we’re not paying to illuminate the city.” Then,“Because I said so, that’s why!” It happens all the time. Here’s why and what to do about it. Dear Dr.…

Three glowing purple light beams symbolizing head, heart, and gut alignment in whole-person leadership.

Glimmers, Leadership, and Alignment: The New Trifecta for Whole-Person Leadership

By Sylvia Lafair | November 4, 2025

Summary: We all know what triggers feel like, those moments when something small sets off a big emotional storm.But what about the opposite? What about the micro-moments that bring you back to yourself? Here’s how head, heart, and gut coherence can turn ordinary leadership into something extraordinary. Dear Dr. Sylvia, I am dedicated to helping…

A leader breaking through barriers, symbolizing the emotional and strategic challenges of leading change with courage and empathy.

When Pushing Boundaries Feels Like a Battle (But You Know It’s Right)

By Sylvia Lafair | October 30, 2025

Summary: Every leader who has ever driven meaningful change knows this moment: you’re pushing forward, stretching the system, and the resistance hits like a wall. It’s not subtle. You can feel it in the silence after you speak, in the sideways glances, in the sudden reappearance of “that’s not how we’ve always done it. And…

Feeling disconnected at work, a symbolic red figure surrounded by muted tones representing isolation and the path to reconnection.

What to Do When You Feel Disconnected From Your Team at Work

By Sylvia Lafair | October 28, 2025

Summary: Even in the most collaborative workplaces, it’s natural to go through periods when you feel disconnected from your team. Maybe everyone’s working remotely, or priorities have shifted, or you’re just not clicking the way you used to. Whatever the reason, disconnection doesn’t have to last forever. Here’s how to reconnect with your colleagues, your…

A professional man juggling glowing orbs symbolizing hypervigilance at work, set against a futuristic background of digital data and analytics.

The Martyr at Work: How Childhood Hypervigilance Shapes Adult Professional Behavior

By Sylvia Lafair | October 23, 2025

Summary: Many people grow up in unpredictable homes, where moods shift without warning, where you have to “read the room” to stay safe. In those environments, children often learn hypervigilance: a heightened awareness of potential threats, emotional cues, or shifts in tone. It’s a survival strategy that keeps individuals alert and adaptable. Dear Dr. Sylvia,…

Categories

Subscribe!