Rethinking Training as More Than Just a Magical Fix
Dear readers, Today I’m delighted to share some words of wisdom from an amazing Instructional Designer who works with The Sparks Group, Jennifer Eichenberg! Jennifer designs and develops training and…
Tourist, Traveler, or Pilgrim?
In life, are you a tourist, a traveler, or a pilgrim? I love to travel, as many people do. When I learned Rick Steves was giving a talk in Charlotte,…
Strategic Planning That Hits
I was recently asked to facilitate the strategic planning retreat for a long-term client of The Sparks Group. I thought I would share the story of this work to…
Happy Holidays: You are seen. You are safe. You belong.
Happy Holidays from The Sparks Group! We hope you are enjoying the season in whatever ways are most meaningful for you. Also: this can be a tough time of year…
Teamwork Ugh
Teamwork. Collaboration. It sounds so straightforward, doesn’t it? Time and again, however, leaders share with us just how challenging it is. Many models describe what effective teaming looks like, the…
Romancing the Stone … or Not.
Often, when people think of Cartagena, Colombia, they think of either Romancing the Stone or the illegal drug trade. Far more pedestrian, Cartagena was the site of our second annual…
Why I Became an Executive Coach
I’m often asked how and why I became a coach. Let’s go back to 2008. I had just moved to Charlotte for my new role running the succession planning program…
Make Feedback Your Superpower
Years ago, at the beginning of my coaching career, I was working with a leader (let’s call her Allie) who was having a challenge with a direct report of hers…
My Awful Feedback Conversation
Let’s time travel. Let’s go back to 2010 or 2011. I’m working at Lowe’s Home Improvement’s corporate office, and my broad-based human resources career is deepening into the strategy execution…
Sometimes leadership lessons emerge from the strangest places.
One of the premier museums in Stockholm, Sweden is the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a ship commissioned by the King Gustav II Adolph in 1625. It was intended to…
