Growth

Mary Barra: The Leader Who Rebuilt a Company by Rebuilding Trust

By Sylvia Lafair | March 26, 2026 |

Summary: When Mary Barra became CEO of General Motors in 2014, she didn’t step into a smooth-running machine. She stepped into a crisis. A massive ignition switch recall had just shaken the company, exposing not just a product flaw, but something far more dangerous: a culture of silence. Here is what she did to turn…

Strong Teams Don’t Avoid Breakdowns, They Repair Them Fast

By Sylvia Lafair | March 24, 2026 |

Summary: Let’s start with the truth most organizations quietly sidestep: conflict is not the problem. Avoidance is. In today’s workplace, teams are often trained, implicitly or explicitly, to keep things smooth, professional, and drama-free. On the surface, that sounds ideal. But underneath? Resentment builds. Conversations go underground. Misunderstandings calcify into narratives that no one names…

Satya Nadella’s Leadership at Microsoft: A GLIMMERS Approach to Head, Heart, and Gut Leadership

By Sylvia Lafair | March 18, 2026 |

Summary: When Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft in 2014, the company was already one of the world’s most powerful technology organizations. Yet internally, many employees described a culture marked by competition, silos, and a constant need to prove who was smartest in the room. More than a decade later, Microsoft is widely recognized not…

Revenge Quitting: The Workplace Warning Sign Leaders Are Ignoring

By Sylvia Lafair | March 17, 2026 |

Summary: Did someone just quit your company today? Not quietly, but with determination? Consider the fact that they quit to make a point. Welcome to the new workplace phenomenon known as “revenge quitting.” It’s when employees resign in anger or frustration to send a message to leadership about a workplace culture that has stopped listening.…

Melinda French Gates: Leadership After the Hard Lessons

By Sylvia Lafair | March 12, 2026 |

Melinda French Gates shows how honest self-reflection, courage, and listening to inner signals can transform personal challenges into powerful leadership and advocacy for women worldwide.

When Companies (and Nations) Are Divided: How the GLIMMERS Process Can Help Us Talk Again

By Sylvia Lafair | March 10, 2026 |

Summary: The World feels more divided than ever. Here are ways to think about healing the divide. Not easy, yet possible. The GLIMMERS Process needs us all to rethink our basic conflict strategies. Dear Dr. Sylvia, I am sad and curious at the same time. It is a time of so much dissension and chaos.…

When the World Feels Unsafe, People Look for One Thing from Their Leaders

By Sylvia Lafair | March 3, 2026 |

When the world feels unsafe, leaders set the emotional tone. Discover how calm presence, nervous system regulation, and steady communication support teams and families during chaotic times.

Alysa Liu: The Quiet Strength of Becoming Yourself

By Sylvia Lafair | February 26, 2026 |

Alysa Liu inspires a new model of whole person leadership by choosing authenticity over pressure, showing young leaders the way forward.

How to Talk to a Micromanager: Turn Control into Trust at Work

By Sylvia Lafair | February 24, 2026 |

Learn how to talk with clarity and confidence to reduce control patterns, build trust, and improve team performance.

Quiet Leadership in a Noisy World: What the Monks Taught Me About Loving Kindness 

By Sylvia Lafair | February 19, 2026 |

Explore how quiet leadership shapes culture through presence, compassion, and mindful action. Inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh and walking monks, discover why steady humanity—not force—creates lasting trust and transformation.