Leadership
Summary: What a Pulitzer Prize-winning play at Berkeley Rep reveals about women’s liberation, family patterns, and the unfinished business of change. I recently attended a performance of Liberation at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and it brought back memories of the women’s movement in the 1970s. Yes, I was a part of those days, honoring Gloria…
Summary: Why disruption brings out our oldest behaviors, and how to turn uncertainty into a GLIMMER. Dear Dr. Sylvia, Have you noticed how differently people respond when the world suddenly feels uncertain? My son-in-law, who was a “shew-in” for a relatively minor public office, now looks like he will lose the vote for a job…
Summary: When loyalty collides with business integrity, the temptation to keep the peace can make everything worse. Dear Dr. Sylvia, My sister and I are fighting in our family business, just like we did as kids. I am the older sister and always had to protect her. She is three years younger chronologically, and I…
Summary: What your hiring and firing decisions tell your team about trust, stability, and the kind of leader you really are. Dear Dr. Sylvia, I have made some dreadful mistakes with our last two hires. Yes, they sounded great in the interviews and answered questions with a flair. However, after only a few months on…
Summary: Canva CEO Melanie Perkins challenges traditional leadership by showing how collaboration, empowerment, and innovation are reshaping success. As AI transforms the workplace, leaders must rethink old patterns and focus on building bridges rather than climbing the corporate ladder. Keep reading to discover what today’s leaders can learn from this shift. For decades, the corporate…
Summary: Why tomorrow’s best leaders will stop pretending they have all the answers—and how to move forward. Dear Dr. Sylvia, I am a leader who thought I had most of the answers for my staff. After 25 years at the helm of a very successful retail business, I am now stuck for solutions. Every day,…
Summary: We often think of boundaries as walls that we put up when we’re angry, hurt, or trying to keep someone out. But healthy boundaries are not about rejection. They are about clarity. When attempting to break an old pattern, clarity can be uncomfortable, especially when the person on the other side is someone you…
Summary: It’s easy to look at the world right now and only see division. Political polarization. Wars. Cultural battles. Anxiety about artificial intelligence. Generations arguing over what matters most. People choosing sides before they’ve even finished listening to each other. We keep asking, “How did things get this bad?” I wonder if there is another…
Summary: What do you do when no choice feels comfortable? Ed Sheeran found out very publicly. Read on for my thoughts on what to do when you’re caught between a rock and a hard place. Dear Dr. Sylvia, There is so much polarization in our world right now; we can’t even go to a concert…
Summary: What if meaningful organizational change begins not with a grand strategy, but with a leader who notices what others may have overlooked? Hanneke Faber’s leadership offers a powerful example of how curiosity, adaptability, and a willingness to challenge the familiar can create meaningful transformation. Some leaders enter an organization with a five-year plan already…