M. Nora Klaver's Page

  • Women in Tech are on a Heroine’s Journey

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Women in Tech are on a Heroine’s Journey

    Lately, I’ve been inviting a number of female CIOs and IT Directors to be guest speakers at a local “women in technology” group. The thought is, if we can get a big name or two to headline an evening event, we’ll be able to attract more members to our growing group. The funny thing, well, not ...

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    July 11, 2016

  • The Heroine’s Journey: Tomboys and Daddy’s Little Girls

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    The Heroine’s Journey: Tomboys and Daddy’s Little Girls

      Janet, a senior director supervising a team of ten engineers, was recounting to me stories of her childhood. In coaching, we don’t usually go back so far into a person’s history, but we were at lunch relaxing, shooting the breeze. “I was one of 5 kids and although I had a sister, I was reall...

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    July 11, 2016

  • The Heroine’s Journey Continues: Dragons and Crowns

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    The Heroine’s Journey Continues: Dragons and Crowns

    This is the third in a series on the journey taken by many women in the tech world toward a life of fulfillment, satisfaction and balance. To catch up, click here: www.mnorabouchard.com. When I was promoted to manager years ago, the consulting firm I worked for sent a formal letter to my paren...

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    July 11, 2016

  • The Heroine’s Journey: Time to Wake Up!

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    The Heroine’s Journey: Time to Wake Up!

    This is the fourth in a series on the journey taken by many women in the tech world toward a life of fulfillment, satisfaction and balance. To read the other entries, click here: www.mnorabouchard.com Let’s catch up with our Heroine, shall we? In our last installment, our Heroine (could be you...

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    July 11, 2016

  • Getting IT Together: Being a New Leader Sucks

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Getting IT Together: Being a New Leader Sucks

    It’s hard being a leader — any leader will tell you that. Leadership, despite all the inspiring memes that float out there in the interwebs, is a bitch. Finding a way to balance what you value and believe with what other folks need demands constant vigilance and deliberation. Making decisions ...

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    May 4, 2016

  • Getting IT Together: Your Intellect is Crippling You and How to Fix it!

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Getting IT Together: Your Intellect is Crippling You and How to Fix it!

    My clients are brilliant. Freaking brilliant. I have one client who dropped out of University of Chicago because he was bored! Another holds a dozen patents. A third was asked to work with me because her boss simply couldn’t understand the concepts she was presenting — her thinking was too muc...

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    April 12, 2016

  • Getting IT Together: Disrupt Yourself!

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Getting IT Together: Disrupt Yourself!

    I’m just finishing up delivering two Stakeholder Reviews (narrative-based 360 reviews) for two of my clients. I’ve learned a great deal about them in the process, and not just from the evaluators. In fact, I learn quite a bit from my clients about what is and who is important to them as we buil...

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    April 12, 2016

  • Get IT Together! Top 10 Reasons to Finally Learn Your Soft Skills!

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Get IT Together! Top 10 Reasons to Finally Learn Your Soft Skills!

    86% of executives identify ineffective collaboration and communication as major causes of failure in business (Salesforce, 2014) Now, more than ever, engineers and their CIO/CTOs require the smoothness of a sales person, the eloquence of an orator and the listening skills of a clergyman. Yet, ...

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    January 29, 2016

  • Getting IT Together: Choose the Red Pill

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Getting IT Together: Choose the Red Pill

    We all know the scene. Neo and Morpheus are sitting in red leather chairs in a decrepit room in front of an old fashioned TV cabinet. Morpheus offers Neo two pills. If he takes the blue one, nothing changes. Neo goes on being the cog in the machine and eating noodles at his favorite restaurant....

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    January 29, 2016

  • Getting IT Together: 2016 is the Year of the Tech Leader!

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Getting IT Together: 2016 is the Year of the Tech Leader!

    Having observed the technology industry for fifteen years now, I’ve seen subtle changes occur over that time. (Oh! I just flashed an image of me floating gracefully above the technology industry watching, just watching. Seriously. There’s been a lot to see and I’ve been privileged to view it f...

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    January 6, 2016

  • There Is Nothing Either Good Or Bad; But Techies Make It So.

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    There Is Nothing Either Good Or Bad; But Techies Make It So.

    With 2015 drawing to a close, business leaders are already speculating as to what the tech industry may have in store in 2016. More importantly, they are anticipating the major disruptions each prediction will inevitably thrust upon organizations, be they beneficial or catastrophic. Some of the...

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    December 28, 2015

  • Are You the Leadership Equivalent of a Lump of Coal?

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Are You the Leadership Equivalent of a Lump of Coal?

    For some people, the holiday gift giving process is exhilarating. They joyfully skip from store to store, picking out the perfect gift for each recipient on their list. Their gifts communicate commitment, appreciation, creativity, understanding, and most of all, complete competence in the holid...

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    December 26, 2015

  • You Can’t “Make” Your Employees Be Happy – So Stop Trying!

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    You Can’t “Make” Your Employees Be Happy – So Stop Trying!

    A few years back, I coached a new IT manager, Jake. He had recently been promoted and was now leading the same group of folks who, just months before, had been his peers. Not an unusual situation, especially in technology groups. It’s pretty common for people to get moved into management ba...

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    November 19, 2015

  • Derailing? Are You Being Pushed?

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Derailing? Are You Being Pushed?

    Cliff’s pose was typical. We had been meeting in his rather cushy office for our coaching sessions and, as in previous sessions, he had been leaning back, arms wide on the back of his small sofa, legs akimbo, taking up as much room as possible. This was his domain and he regularly telegraphed t...

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    October 28, 2015

  • Are You In IT? You Need a Coach

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Are You In IT? You Need a Coach

          I’m pretty sure you need a coach. You may not think so, but consider the following situations. Let me know if you see one that matches or is close to what you are dealing with. Matt, a brilliant programmer, enjoys what he does. The pursuit of the solution drives him and keeps him motiva...

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    July 29, 2015

  • Tech Interrupted: The Price You Pay For Being Disrupted

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Tech Interrupted: The Price You Pay For Being Disrupted

    Let’s begin with a little quiz: How often a day are you interrupted? 1-10 times a day 10-20 times a day 20-30 times a day 30+ times a day 2.   What have you resorted to doing to minimize these interruptions? Sigh loudly, answer the question as quickly as possible and try ...

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    July 13, 2015

  • Remote Management: 7 Tips for Engaging Telecommuters

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Remote Management: 7 Tips for Engaging Telecommuters

          Despite the well-publicized removal of the telecommuting option at Yahoo! by CEO Marissa Mayer, it is expected that more, not fewer, people will request to work remotely. The benefits are pretty clear: lower costs, higher productivity, and happier employees (as reported here in the...

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    June 24, 2015

  • 7 Ways to Respect the Tech

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    7 Ways to Respect the Tech

        For the last 15 years, I have coached technologists to improve performance, transition more successfully to management and leadership roles, and to lead more effectively. Time and again, I see these dedicated folks with very specific skill sets treated differently from their co-worker...

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    May 18, 2015

  • Mad Truth

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Mad Truth

    If you are anything like me, you have shelves of books. Some well used, some only partially read, and many still waiting for that first spine-cracking open. As I examine my collection, I see titles that are designed to snag your attention and hold it. “Made to Stick” anyone? Some of these title...

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    March 6, 2015

  • Instead of Doing — Don’t!

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Instead of Doing — Don’t!

    Jason’s a new client: young, energetic, pretty clear about what he does and what he wants. But he’s having problems communicating with someone on his team. Jason (not his name) has spent cycles planning what to say and how to say it. He’s worked up charts and documents that present his case. He...

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    March 6, 2015

  • The One Word You Should Never Use!

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    The One Word You Should Never Use!

    It’s the start of a new year, and there’s a little voice in the back of my mind that whispers to me, “You should be setting down goals for this year…You should be getting new clients…You should at least be working out this morning!” That voice — which by the way, originates in my head and looks...

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    March 6, 2015

  • 15 Tips to Making One-on-Ones Worth Your While!

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    15 Tips to Making One-on-Ones Worth Your While!

    How many times has your boss blown off your weekly one-on-one meeting?  How many times have you done the same to a direct report?  How can you create a one-on-one that no one wants to miss? It is possible! Before venturing out on my as an Executive Coach, I worked for a Big 6 consulting firm. E...

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    March 6, 2015

  • The ONE Thing Successful Presentations All Have in Common!

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    The ONE Thing Successful Presentations All Have in Common!

    What do the best and most successful presentations having in common? No, it’s not an entertaining and lively speaker — though that helps No, it’s not beautifully executed slides — though those help No, it’s not a clearly thought out sequence of critical points — thought that helps, too In fact,...

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    March 6, 2015

  • Work = Classroom, Colleagues = Teachers. What Are You Learning?

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Work = Classroom, Colleagues = Teachers. What Are You Learning?

    Years ago, in a downtown Chicago conference room, during one of those precious moments between the time your client is supposed to arrive and when he actually does, I found myself in a reflective moment. As I looked out upon the checkered pattern of office windows, I imagined a single soul behi...

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    March 6, 2015

  • 5 Important Messages Hidden in Our Complaints

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    5 Important Messages Hidden in Our Complaints

    People often wonder how an executive coach deals with complaints day in and day out. Well, first of all, most clients spend their time NOT complaining. Most are focused on creating new and powerful futures for themselves and their companies. When leaders do feel compelled to complain, I encoura...

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    March 6, 2015

  • Regaining Perspective: 5 Lenses to Help You See What You’ve Been Missing!

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Regaining Perspective: 5 Lenses to Help You See What You’ve Been Missing!

    Download this free presentation! Bouchard Lenses The post Regaining Perspective: 5 Lenses to Help You See What You’ve Been Missing! appeared first on Nora B Dev Site.

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    March 6, 2015

  • Super-Strengths in Real Life

    M. Nora Klaver posted a blog post

    Super-Strengths in Real Life

    Download this free presentation! Bouchard Super Strengths Short   The post Super-Strengths in Real Life appeared first on Nora B Dev Site.

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    March 6, 2015

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