I have spent the last two decades on stages around the world as an auctioneer at the world’s top fundraisers and galas. I spend most nights negotiating with audience members to buy things at a higher price than they expect to pay when they walk in the…
This article is part of a series for National Disability Employment Month produced in collaboration with Making Space CEO and disability rights advocate Keely-Cat Wells. These pieces examine the barriers that disabled people face to participating full…
Imagine you are watching a movie, a delightfully engaging and entertaining film. Now imagine that the person sitting next to you is an acclaimed director, an expert at making movies.
Will you see the same movie as the director? In a sense, you wil…
Picture this: You’re at an award gala for a project you and your team spent over a thousand hours working on. It went through revisions, blood, sweat, and tears, and finally garnered an award nomination. So when the winning team (not yours) accepts th…
At the Exceptional Women Alliance (EWA), we enable high-level women to mentor each other so that each leader can achieve personal and professional happiness through sisterhood. As the nonprofit organization’s founder, chair, and CEO, I am honored to i…
Some may remember the first lesson of algebra, termed solving for x. X might seem unknowable at first, but solving for x, in the context of an architecture firm like mine means gathering the right evidence through listening and observing, which—as it …
Macroeconomic factors like high interest rates, limited appetite for investment, war, an uncertain political climate, and the threat of a slowing economy all contribute to current pressures on organizations. Additionally, the end of the pandemic broug…
At the end of September, the U.K.’s last remaining coal power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, will be retired. The closure of the plant should—and will—be celebrated by environmentalists, as the move away from coal has made Britain’s elec…
Although it can sometimes be misused, empathy is a generally valuable approach to take with other people—including at work. Often, when people are upset or frustrated, they first want to be heard and understood. On top of that, the valuable ability to…
The many recent tributes to President Jimmy Carter on the occasion of his 100th birthday today highlight his work as a humanitarian, environmentalist, politician, and man of faith. I had the honor of working for him for almost 36 years, and I would ad…




