About Me

I’m a creative operations professional in the Washington DC metropolitan area. I love collaborating with creative directors  to effectively manage  graphic design projects– that includes everything from client management, analyzing and managing creative professionals’ workloads and volumes, identifying new clients/projects to take on, and mitigating problem clients/projects. I see myself as the intermediary helping clients get the campaigns and products they want while keeping my creative colleagues sane.

I use a combination of hard and soft skills — from my PMP and Excel nerdery to effective presentation, coaching and  training skills. (View my resume on LinkedIn).

On this site I write about effective communication and how to leverage it to improve professional relationships, boost productivity and improve workplace satisfaction.

 

Afraid of public speaking? Start here.

Whether you’re a good public speaker (or a terrified one!) there are ways to improve your public speaking. Below I’ve included some general tips for effective public speaking that you can focus on, no matter your level as a speaker. Identify the occasion and the desired impact:  This the easiest way to know where to … Continue reading →

Millennial Managers: how to succeed in 2016

  You are not your employees’ friend. Be friendly and supportive but remain an authority. Never ask for more from them than you’re willing to do or give yourself. Always show that you’re expecting more of yourself than them. Understand and use each individual’s personal motivation/driver to enhance his/her performance: For some it’s money. For … Continue reading →

How to take time off

When I started my first job nearly a decade ago, I thought that the best way to get things done at work was to plough right through tasks and keep going until the work was done. After all, if it had worked in college, it would work in the real world, right? It took me … Continue reading →

Consultants: Read this before you pitch me

As a marketing director in a DC nonprofit, I get pitched on a regular basis on a variety of products and services, from web development and database management, to data analysis, general marketing and social media analytics/implementation. Some go better than others– and most go mediocrely. So here’s my advice to every consultant: 1. Don’t … Continue reading →

The 7-Step Process for Giving Great Feedback

This is another of my LinkedIn posts, which I’m cross-posting here.  One of the biggest challenges new managers face is giving effective feedback. While most of us are comfortable giving positive feedback, many people struggle with giving constructive criticism that improves outcomes. Here are some approaches that should make things easier: Step #1:: BEFORE you … Continue reading →