October 5, 2026
I’m a big believer in psychological safety, but we’ve started confusing psychological safety with psychological comfort. They are not the same thing. Increasingly, I hear the term “psychologically unsafe” used to describe situations where someone: Received constructive feedback Had their idea challenged Was told no Was disagreed with Was held accountable Left a conversation feeling […]
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July 23, 2025
I work with both seasoned executives and first-time leaders. Some need a framework. Some need to cry. AI can help with the first part. The second part? Not so much. AI can help solve predictable, repeatable problems, but fixing messy, emotional, human systems? That’s biological, not binary. AI-based coaching tools are gaining traction for good […]
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June 24, 2025
I didn’t grow up with a playbook for success. My path has looked more like a winding road than a straight highway, filled with trauma, career detours, and pivots that shaped who I am today. I wrote this piece in the hopes it will encourage those whose careers or lives look nothing like a straight […]
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February 13, 2025
(A decade ago, I wrote about the power of a personal advisory board, and the insights are just as relevant today. I’ve updated the piece, but the core message remains the same: surrounding yourself with the right people is a game-changer. Would love to hear your thoughts!) Advisory boards aren’t just for companies. They’re extremely […]
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June 18, 2024
In the high-stakes world of biotech startups, a CEO’s presence—or lack thereof— shapes the company’s culture and potential success perhaps more than any other single factor. Yet, startup CEOs are often pulled away from day-to-day operations to focus on external activities like fundraising, working tirelessly for the company’s future. Even if employees generally understand the […]
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January 23, 2024
Originally published in Life Science Leader Magazine in December 2023 by Lori Dernavich Finding scientific talent is an arduous process, often stealing precious time from our calendars. Heartbreak comes when new hires underperform or aren’t a good fit, or worse, they are terrific but quit in a relatively short time. INCREASING YOUR ODDS Hiring well […]
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October 7, 2023
Originally published in Life Science Leader Magazine in August 2022 by Lori Dernavich. Scientists are taught to be interrogators, questioning every theory, experiment, variable, and outcome. This used to lead to rigorous scientific debate; but something is changing. If you experience lively scientific debates where coworkers can disagree with each other and still go for […]
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December 8, 2022
Does this sound familiar? You know you should give someone feedback, but you avoid it because it feels awkward, scary, risky, or hopeless. The first step is to REFRAME the situation. If done correctly, feedback is HELPFUL to the person you’re giving it to. While you may also benefit from the person receiving feedback, it’s […]
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July 12, 2022
You open the brand new laptop, register for your new email address, and update your LinkedIn profile. You introduce yourself to coworkers and try to get acquainted with everyone. You’re navigating the maze that’s called “onboarding,” slowly figuring out your place in this new environment. Then anxiety creeps in, “Did I do the right thing […]
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September 20, 2021
As we inch closer to the two-year mark since the beginning of COVID-19, we might be experiencing different feelings about our work. The shock effect of the pandemic got many of us reevaluating our job satisfaction and questioning our priorities. The familiar office setting where we got to socialize with our colleagues, walk to lunch, […]
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June 9, 2021
This is the sixth time you’ve looked at your watch since the meeting started. How much longer is this going to take? Most people are muted or have turned off their videos. All you see are off-white letters on a series of black boxes. Yet another colleague goes on a tangent, but nobody tries to […]
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March 2, 2021
Today’s workforce is more project-based. To achieve certain goals, you need to orchestrate multiple departments to work on different parts. For instance, a product manager needs to work with engineers, designers, data scientists to decide on product direction and feasibility; a salesperson needs to interact with product , customer success, finance and legal teams to […]
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December 8, 2020
Ryan Hoover created Product Hunt seven years ago as a side project. It started as an email newsletter and launched in a single tweet at Philz Coffee in San Francisco. Seven years later, Product Hunt has led to the discovery of over 100 million products across 50,000 companies, and is now a crucial part of […]
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October 27, 2020
Here we go again. You’re listening to yet another employee gripe about Joe. It’s become a pattern. Surely Joe can tell that his co-workers are avoiding him. Maybe it’s a bad cultural fit — you noticed that he’s barely doing the minimum these days. He keeps making mistakes, and you can’t trust his work anymore. […]
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October 23, 2020
This is it: you’re finally in the room with your manager and senior leaders, presenting on a critical initiative you’re working on. You are sharing a recommendation that is controversial, but you believe is right. Things are tense. People are on edge. Stakes are high. The manager’s face is getting red. Before you know it, the […]
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