Credit: EtiAmmos What Employees Really Want I was recently interviewed on a podcast and was asked to comment on organizational and talent trends now and in the future. As usual, I dove into the research, including a visit to ChatGPT. I wanted to see what it came up with and see how AI is impacting what we want and need at work. I found that what employees want now, and in their future workplace, doesn't change very much. What surprised me is the overwhelming desire for more people-focused...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Vista Academy AI vs EQ Last month, I published a newsletter titled "Women are Strong at the Things AI Can't Do". It received a strong response with lots of positive feedback -- thank you! As I mentioned before, given the rapid transformation of AI into our work and lives, I find myself thinking more about gender and AI these days. In that newsletter, I talked about how women are especially strong at the things AI can’t do -- and many of these skills are grounded in emotional intelligence...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Insights Want to Better Understand Your Colleagues? Look no further than the Insights Discovery workshop! Affectionately called "Colors". I'm a licenced practitioner in the Insights Discovery model and have been teaching it for 15 years. I have had the opportunity of participating in other major personality-based learning programs (Myers-Briggs, Social Styles, and DiSC) and have found Insights Discovery Colors to be the most practical, applicable, and easy to use on a daily basis. I've led...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Leadership, Gender and AI My doctoral dissertation research focused broadly on leadership and gender — and created (or uncovered) a passion and interest that I didn't know I had. Since then, I've written two books on the topic, and I have a publisher for my third book (likely to launch in 2027). This will complete the leadership and gender trilogy! My first book, The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and the Gender Divide, focuses on career-minded women. It outlines the...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Are You the Ally You Think You Are? As some of you know, last year I was laser-focused on riding my bike across the country (bucket list adventure) and writing my 2nd book (focused on men). I am happy to say that I accomplished both! My first book, The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and the Gender Divide, focuses primarily on career-minded women. It outlines the barriers that women encounter in the workplace and explains why we don't see more women leading our global...
6 months ago • 4 min read
Bikes A year of Books and Bikes...Pages and Pedals...Writing and Riding. Whatever you want to call it -- this has been a year of Resolution to Reality for me. It's been 2 months since I returned from my 6-week cross-country bike tour with Trek Travel and I still can't believe I did it. There were 22 of us who were crazy enough to ride our bikes from Portland, OR to Portland, ME. We dipped our tires in the Pacific Ocean when we started, and again in the Atlantic Ocean (this pic is from the...
10 months ago • 3 min read
Business In January, I wrote about my personal journey and a few key milestones in 2025. This included my story about getting laid off from my last pharmaceutical company, and how that put me on a completely new path. The lay off forced me to consider what I really wanted and what I could offer based on my expertise. These past 10 years, I've enjoyed serving as a professional speaker, consultant, professor, and author. Thus, I highly recommend getting laid off to anyone! This year, I...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
The Layoff It was November 2014 and my boss called me into her office. The HR rep was there, so I knew something big was about to happen. The pharmaceutical company I was working for at the time had just been acquired. As with most acquisitions, we knew layoffs were coming. She said, "Shawn, your job has been eliminated. However, you are eligible for a severance package." I felt a mix of disappointment and excitement at the same time. I had worked in pharmaceuticals for 22 years in various...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
Kamala Harris at campaign rally (CNN) If you've been paying attention to politics lately—or just mildly conscious—then you've likely heard the comments directed at Kamala Harris and other women calling them the "DEI hire". Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn) and Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo) both referred to Kamala Harris as the "DEI Hire". The same term was used to refer to the Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who has just stepped down from her role. Earlier this month, Rep. Lauren Boebert...
about 2 years ago • 3 min read