Author: Melissa Segal

Consider the following situations: A manager changes her own job description to fit her interests and delegates the unwanted tasks to a team member. A leader creates a new organizational structure that tailors his own role to his skillset. An

I recently attended a lecture by Brendan Murphy, a historian and teacher, who reminded us that history is never inevitable. History is always the result of a collection of choices. And those choices can always be different. Those comments resonated

How many of us have experienced or witnessed the following scenarios—or even recognize ourselves as the leader in these types of situations? A boss always double checks a team member’s emails before she is allowed to send them to potential

While I had planned to publish Humility Part 4 today, I am instead thinking about another important quality for leaders: humanity. This season is a challenging one for so many of us and our team members. We may be facing

I’m so honored that E3 Durham chose me as the Entrepreneur of the Month for January 2025! I’ve enjoyed being part of this vibrant community and look forward to all that we will accomplish together!

Last week, in part two of my series on how to be a better manager, I posted about sharing our mistakes and imperfections with our teams. Another key component is to actively and genuinely encourage feedback from our team members

Given that so many people leave their jobs because of their bosses, I started a series on how to be a better manager. Here’s the second post. When I entered the workforce, I watched supervisors and team members do everything

Over the weekend, I happened upon my personal statement for social work school (from many, many moons ago). In that essay, I wrote about how my early experiences shaped my world view and how I was committed to helping people

I started writing Humility Part 2 early this morning with the plan to post it later today. Then I spent a lovely few hours getting to know a new friend and colleague, and I had lunch with my youngest daughter

Over the past week, I have facilitated two sessions on “Navigating Challenging Patient Behavior.” While we spent most of our time learning and then practicing skills around navigating a variety of interactions, I started by highlighting two important aspects of

I often work with people who are thinking about resigning or who have recently left a job. The common denominator? Their boss. And the stories these folks share are uncannily similar. So here is the first of several posts about

I recently met one of my dad’s childhood friends, who talked fondly of the connection between their families. I was struck by one particular recollection: my grandmother didn’t generally attend their gatherings. I later asked my dad why, and he

I’ve long been a proponent of integrating DEI throughout our work. Check out my article published in Inside Higher Ed: How Colleges Can Pivot to Keep DEI Alive. Colleges can still achieve DEI-related goals through a deliberate integration strategy, Melissa

Last week, I facilitated a training for postdocs and graduate students on Negotiating Salary: Do’s and Don’ts. As I prepared materials for the session, I quickly rediscovered the importance of having the right negotiating mindset, which unsurprisingly mirrors the approach

Given my work as a facilitator, trainer, and coach, I spend a significant amount of time creating and holding space for others. And I love my work, including building relationships and connections, making a difference in people’s daily experiences, and

A few weeks ago, my spouse and I hiked part of Pikes Peak, which is 14,115 feet high. Some hikers started at the bottom and ascended all the way to the top, while others started mid-way and trekked the upper

I recently facilitated a session about navigating grief around the holidays; I shared practical information about how to navigate plans, thoughts, emotions, connections, conversations, and self-care. In our discussion, we spent significant time considering how to approach situations in which

For several weeks this summer, I needed to dog sit Kevin, my sister’s dog. I’ll admit that I’m a doodle person; I love their soft fur, sweet disposition, and snuggly personalities. Kevin is NOT a doodle. He is 70-pound, muscular,

I live a few hours from Western North Carolina, which was hard hit by Hurricane Helene. Every day, I read and hear stories about friends, family, and other residents whose homes have been destroyed or badly damaged, who have been

When the path forward seemed confusing, trail goers stopped to give directions or figure it out together. When someone questioned if certain trails connected, hikers showed their maps to each other. As people passed other parties, they often described the