By Sandra Corelli, Vice President Corporate Class Inc. I recently returned from an energizing vacation in Europe full of culture, history, amazing food and time for reflection. Meeting and getting to know people from different parts of the world is one of my favorite pursuits while traveling. Their stories and experiences bring important lessons, inspiration, “aha” moments, understanding and gratitude. This trip was particularly enlightening for me. As I listened to many stories, I began … Continue Reading

By Diane Craig, President and Founder, Corporate Class Inc. Have you ever attempted to implement change with your team – and faced real resistance? Do you recall being asked to make a change that you struggled with – and openly resisted? Change is challenging Even when people recognize the repercussions of not adapting to change, they are routinely resistant. Consider, for example, that too much sugar and unhealthy fats lead to obesity, diabetes and high-cholesterol – … Continue Reading

How to create conditions in the brain to gain insight By Diane Craig, President and Founder, Corporate Class Inc. Legend tells us that Archimedes, the Classical Greek scholar, leapt out of his bath shouting “Eureka! Eureka!” – meaning, “I’ve found it; I’ve found it!” In a split second, by simply stepping into the bath and displacing water he had grasped the law of buoyancy. This was Archimedes’ aha moment – his sudden comprehension of what … Continue Reading

Lessons in Leadership and the Thai Soccer team rescue By Sandra Corelli, Vice President, Corporate Class Inc. As news of the last soccer player and coach rescued from the cave in Thailand broke, the world breathed a sigh of relief to cheer this modern-day miracle. The story is one of community, strength, resilience and bravery. It demonstrates the power of mental and emotional agility and effective leadership, in times of crisis. Like most of you, … Continue Reading

It’s Not Always Clear What Constitutes Sexual Harassment. Acclaimed author, leadership expert and educator Kathleen Kelley Reardon contacted Sandra Corelli, Vice President at CCI, to discuss one of the most complex workplace issues today – sexual harassment. She was compiling research for her forthcoming HBR article. Entitled, It’s Not Always Clear What Constitutes Sexual Harassment. Use This Tool to Navigate the Gray Areas., the article was published June 18, 2018. Dr. Reardon requested Sandra’s feedback … Continue Reading

The connection between ever-present office politics and personal branding may appear to be something of a stretch. Closer examination reveals their interdependence. Dr. Kathleen Kelly Reardon is an expert on navigating office politics. In her book, The Secret Handshake – Mastering The Politics of the Business Inner Circle, Dr. Reardon’s research validates the importance of personal branding. She writes about a young woman who declined her mentor’s advice regarding the importance of attending a company … Continue Reading

Study groups are an integral part of MBA programs, meant to simulate the real-life corporate world of working in teams. Although the intent is to encourage people to develop a collaborative mindset, often the reality is bullying, wannabe leaders, peer criticism, and anxiety about speaking out, derail students from actively participating. Instead of the intentional joining of forces, the result is friction and a total lack of productivity. When a corporate team clicks, there are … Continue Reading

A fact of corporate life is that presentations are extremely important. A popular myth of corporate life is that leaders are inherently endowed with presentation skills. And yet, nothing could be further from the truth! Even seasoned leaders struggle with presentation anxiety. They may attempt to conceal their apprehension through false bravado but the underlying fear is there. The absolute finest presenters, in our experience, have faced these fears courageously. This is not an overstatement … Continue Reading

Consider the proverb “clothes make the man.” Although often attributed to Shakespeare, its origins lie in the classical Greek saying, “the man is his clothing.” Today, “the woman is her clothing.” This is, indeed, a significant principle for women aspiring to high-profile roles. Why, then, are many ambitious women ambivalent about the importance of appearance, notably, their apparel choices? Think of the endless dialogue surrounding Hillary Rodham Clinton’s wardrobe of pantsuits.It sends a clear message … Continue Reading