Professional Development

The Real ROI of Internship Programs (And Why Most Organizations Miss It)

Leadership Development, Professional Development /

  When organizations evaluate their internship programs, they often focus on one question: “Did the intern complete their hours?” It’s a simple metric. It’s easy to track. And it completely misses the point. Because the true value of an internship program isn’t measured in hours.  It’s measured in development.  The Problem with Traditional ROI Thinking […]

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Is Your Internship Program Developing Talent or Just Managing It?

Leadership Development, Professional Development /

  Many organizations believe they have a “good” internship program. Interns are placed. Tasks are assigned. Hours are completed. On the surface, everything appears to be working. But here’s the real question: Is your internship program actually developing talent—or just managing it? Because those are not the same thing. The Hidden Gap in Internship Programs

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S.O.F.T. Leadership™ Requires Stewardship

Professional Development /

  Sometimes the leader knows before the leader-in-the-making does. S.O.F.T. Leadership™ requires stewardship. Years ago, I hired a recent graduate for their first full-time role after completing an MPA. During the interview, they shared a bold goal: they wanted to help change the education system — including higher education. Their role included facilitating multiple weekly

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S.O.F.T. Leadership ™ Requires Ethical Leadership

Professional Development /

  Nonprofit leaders, We all understand that donors and foundations want to see where their money is going. And truthfully?
When we accept funding, we accept a level of access. But access should never come at the cost of program disruption, interrogation, or client exploitation. S.O.F.T. Leadership ™ requires ethical leadership and that is something different.

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When Burnout Breaks Your Self-Trust: Why High-Performing Women of Color Lose Their Inner Compass – and How to Rebuild It

Professional Development /

  There’s a truth I’ve learned over years of coaching high-performing Women of Color: Burnout doesn’t just drain your energy. Compassion fatigue doesn’t just exhaust your spirit. Both quietly chip away at the foundation every courageous leader depends on — self-trust. This loss isn’t loud. It doesn’t announce itself. It shows up quietly, almost undetected:

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Training, Not Complaining: How S.O.F.T. Leadership™ Strengthens Multi-Generational Workplaces

Professional Development /

  Every few months, a new headline appears declaring that “this generation doesn’t want to work.” It’s a familiar refrain — one that crosses decades. Baby Boomers heard it about Gen X. Gen X heard it about Millennials. And now, Millennials are saying it about Gen Z. But if every generation has heard the same

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Introducing the S.O.F.T. Leadership Framework: The New Standard for Sustainable Success

Leadership Development, Organizational Development, Professional Development /

  Proof That Leadership Can Be Both Soft and Strong For years, my work has focused on two essential audiences: Emerging leaders pursuing degrees or just entering the workforce High-performing Women of Color navigating burnout, identity loss, and the pressure to hold it all together in leadership At first glance, these may seem like two

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Upgrade Your Multi-Generational Workplace

Leadership Development, Organizational Development, Professional Development /

  The article, “Ford CEO on his ‘epiphany’ after talking to his Gen Z factory workers: They were saying they ‘had to have three jobs’” in Fortune magazine reminded me that I’ve been talking about the skills gap for years in my Human Relations and Social Problems courses. Here’s what we fail to realize: ❌

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