Patterns
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: 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: What if the employee who keeps reverting to old behaviors isn’t failing to change, but is actually showing the first signs of transformation? Discover how recognizing the small GLIMMERS of progress can help leaders balance accountability with patience, avoid triggering old patterns, and allow space for meaningful growth to take hold. Dear Dr. Sylvia,…
Summary: What if the things that bother you most are actually trying to get your attention? Gloria Steinem’s life offers a powerful reminder that change often begins with a GLIMMER—a question, contradiction, or moment that makes you stop and wonder why things are the way they are. Discover what happens when you pay attention to…
Summary: Three generations. Three pairs of brothers. And one question every family eventually faces: What happens when loyalty to someone you love collides with responsibility for the larger family? We tend to watch the Royal Family as though it were a very expensive television series. But look beyond the crowns, castles, scandals, and headlines, and…
Summary: The patterns you inherited might matter more than you think. You’re sitting in a doctor’s office filling out forms. Heart disease in the family? Diabetes? Cancer? High blood pressure? Important questions. But there’s another family history we almost never get asked about: How did your family handle being sick when you were growing up?…
Summary: Your team may look terrific when everything is going well. People collaborate. Meetings are cordial. Deadlines are met. Everyone talks about trust, transparency, and “being one team.” Then the pressure hits. A major client threatens to leave. Revenue falls short. AI changes someone’s role. Instead of doom and gloom, here is a better way…
Summary: What happens to leadership when artificial intelligence can analyze faster, process more information, and produce answers in seconds? Perhaps the answer is surprisingly simple: We have to become more human, not less. Microsoft’s CEO has something to teach us about empathy, self-awareness, and human leadership in the age of AI. Satya Nadella, Chairman and…
Summary: There’s a sentence I’ve heard in executive team meetings, family businesses, and coaching conversations for decades: “That’s just how I am.” That sentence is almost guaranteed to shut down conversation and creativity for good. Here is another way to think and respond. Dear Dr. Sylvia, My leadership team is stuck in an “either/or” argument…