Understanding brain science gives you a competitive advantage in internal meetings and shortlisted interviews.

A/E/C pros are left-brain analytical thinkers who thrive on processes. 

Incorporating right-brain emotional thinking can enhance engagement and simplify tasks.

In a new workshop I delivered for the Society for Marketing Professional Services, SMPS, we covered Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP). 

Seasoned leaders discovered how this business and communications methodology can save time and valuable resources.

Also, implementing these strategies can help reduce frustration levels within internal teams.

Unnecessary and unorganized meetings are among the top complaints in our group coaching and training.

Here are five crucial takeaways for improving meetings and communication:

1. Share the agenda in advance.
2. Follow your allotted schedule and respect other people's time. A 30-minute meeting that spirals into 90 minutes can be infuriating.
3. Invite...

So many people are oblivious to the negative self-talk loop playing in their heads every day. 

I was there most of my life. 

And I'm not there anymore. 

A/E/C coaching clients admit they beat themselves up with imposter syndrome.

Many feel unprepared for last-minute meetings.

Others are self-conscious about not having "all the answers."

Have you convinced yourself you lack the personality and confidence to step into leadership?

Does this resonate with you? 

The best news is that negative self-talk is not a permanent condition!

Self-awareness and trusting yourself bring empowerment and new energy. 

In this 2-minute video clip from the archives (2010!!), I shed light on how to transform with positive self-talk.  

Ready to get out of your own way and head? 

Click above to see the clip.

Almost everyone in A/E/C is on a leadership and succession planning kick.

Employee acquisition and retention in our ongoing labor shortage poses unique challenges.

Interestingly, the challenges all circle back to communication.

YOUR communication.

We're often quick to pass the buck to our post-COVID world.

Or to Gen Z and their phone addictions.

Or to TikTok influencers and goofball memes.

Look, no one is to "blame" for the industry's struggles with interpersonal communication.

It's time to take ownership of our collective responsibility so we can all do better.

Like a drone, business and personal growth requires us to see the big picture.

This framework will get you started:

• Exploring: Thousands of years ago, curious cave dwellers went on daily quests to find food. The word "quest" is the root of questions.

Are you asking yourself the right questions to uncover the root of what your team really needs? 

Are conversations and meetings nourishing and...

Busy digging into new tech to reduce misunderstandings and unorganized data?

Slow down, Skippy.

Improving internal team communication is not the first step to managing projects efficiently.

This is where your firm must begin.

In this 2-minute video, I share the breakthrough communication strategy that successful AEC clients use.

It's internal, but not what you think it is! 

From our file marked: Watch the Gap. 

C-suite executives in A/E/C know the value of intellectual property. 

A generation of top execs worry about passing the torch when they retire. 

It's overwhelming to think about gathering data on culture, history, finances, values, and projects. 

All are critical to succession planning.

But few, if any, talk about the colossal gap.  

Set aside data and bid packages for a sec. (Don't twitch )

What will the knowledge transfer look like without dizzying pie charts and spreadsheets?  

AEC succession planning and business communication are markedly different post-COVID.

Our next generation of leaders expects emotional connections as well as data.  

Intellectual property = storytelling. And wisdom. 

If succession planning is on your mind as 2023 winds down, be sure you know how to transfer your knowledge through stories:

• Have casual conversations
• Mentor heart-to heart
• Share...

The two most dangerous words when communicating in business and life are:

I know.

You may indeed know what the other person is saying.

Or trying to express.

Still, pay attention to how you say your "I know."

Is your tone one of arrogance or dismissal of someone else's idea?

This is about being self-aware.

And self-awareness is often a struggle in A/E/C.

You may be communicating to others subliminally that you are close-minded and closed-hearted.

A slight shift can help close a bid or form a new connection.

Our communication is an “inside job.”

Whatever story we believe about ourselves becomes the soundtrack of our lives.

• I always get in a sales rut in the summer.
• I need to hire an assistant but I’m not making enough money.
• I suck at online networking.

When you have a high level of self-awareness, you notice the internal chatter. Then, if it's toxic, you can make a change.

The good thing is that you can decide anytime, any day, to re-record your self-talk jabbering.

You control the radio dial in your head.

So what are you listening to???

A soundtrack of worry, weeds, and unworthiness? 

Or are you tuned to a soundtrack of success and live with a sense of ease and optimism?

Getting real here.

I have often kidded myself into thinking no one else can hear my berating voice.

Sound familiar? 

I was soooo wrong.

Talking s**t about ourselves is sneaky.

It creeps into our conversations, emails, messaging, and BD meetings. Every. Single. Day.

When we decide to...