Esther Choy, Author at Leadership Story Lab

Energize Your Networking Skills With 3 Proven Storytelling Tips

Networking doesn’t have to be a transaction. It can be a conversation worth having. That’s what my client Susan discovered at an ERG networking event, where story-prompting questions moved her and her partner past small talk and into real stories about their careers, upbringings, and experiences of imposter syndrome at work. Many people dread networking,…

How To Improve Team Communication By Learning To Speak Up

Jeannie walked out of Monday’s meeting feeling energized. Her team had just landed a promising new project, and everyone seemed locked in on the vision they’d pitch to the client on Friday. So when they reconvened Thursday to review the slides, she expected their team to prepare slides that reflected their shared vision, sharpened and…

Why You Need To Prepare For A Fantastic Performance Review Now

Summer is the smartest time to prep for your year-end performance review. Here’s why: even the best managers forget. Writing performance evaluations is hard, and buried under a busy year, the moments that made you shine may have long faded in your manager’s memory. Recency bias — giving more value to recent events, over events…

How To Ensure Professional Development Actually Empowers Your Team

“I’m not here to sell you anything.” That’s what Amy — Sawyer Products’s lead salesperson — said when she walked into her first in-person meeting at a major retailer’s headquarters. Amy exemplified a communication tool she had learned in her company’s professional development courses. The buyers looked confused. True to her words, Amy didn’t have…

4 Summer Books That Will Make You A Better Leader

Summer is a great time to catch up on your “to be read” shelf AND to brush up on your leadership communication skills. But this doesn’t mean you must read management and leadership books. Reading fiction is a proven way to build your empathy muscle — a key ingredient to being a better leader and…

Make Your LinkedIn Profile Better With A Simple Shift In Your Mindset

Let me give you an example: Because May is my birthday month, I was recalling my most recent birthday parties. Two years ago, when I was celebrating a milestone birthday, my husband and I planned a big party — with friends flying in from out of town and a delicious dinner. We played music, sang,…

3 Ways Authentic Storytelling Helps You Land A New Job

Imagine this scenario for a job interview: You fly nine hours to an in-person interview. You are jetlagged, but even worse, you’ve come down with chicken pox. No amount of makeup will cover the marks on your face and you feel lousy. This happened to me in 1998 and despite all the setbacks, I was…

Want To Ace A Job Interview? A Simple Story Will Make You Shine

One of the most common job interview questions is, “So, tell me about yourself.” It’s often used as an ice breaker early in the interview to give the candidate time to warm up and settle in before the harder-hitting questions come. But the truth is, during a job interview, there is no “warm up.” First…

3 Practical Storytelling Techniques To Make You Shine At Work

You’ve prepared your talking points. You’ve rehearsed your pitch. You’ve got the data to back up every claim. So why does senior management look distracted when it’s your turn to present your brilliant ideas at the quarterly all-team meeting? The difference between being overlooked and being valued often comes down to one skill: storytelling. Here’s…

3 Traits That Help Women Thrive In Male-Dominated Careers

Every industry has unspoken cultural norms and stereotypes. When you don’t fit those norms, peers and mentors may create obstacles to your success or question why you are there. Even if they are not explicitly antagonistic, they may simply overlook you. I was curious to understand how people succeed in fields dominated by a group…