Kate Larsen

What is your Influence-IQ?

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Stop setting goals — or at least read this first

January 13, 2020 by Kate Larsen Leave a Comment

Happy New Year! Are you one of the 45 percent of Americans who made New Year’s resolutions? If so, I hope you’re also one of the 8 percent who actually keep them! Some popular resolutions such as “lose 10 lbs.” or “run a 5k” are actually goals, not resolutions. A goal is a specific, one-time […]

Hush those justifications in your head

January 6, 2020 by Kate Larsen Leave a Comment

Pretend you have a problem, maybe with a family member or co-worker. A friend notices that you’re angry and asks what’s wrong. You open up to describe what’s happening when you suddenly hear: “I know what you mean! That same thing happened to me! I completely understand how you feel. I figured out how to […]

Assumptions hinder helping

December 15, 2019 by Kate Larsen Leave a Comment

It’s easy to jump to conclusions, isn’t it? If you’ve been working in a profession for a long time and have day-to-day experience that informs your approach to work and makes it easy to assume, be aware: you may be getting cognitively lazy. Being cognitively lazy means you tend to assume you know the circumstances, […]

Using duct tape to help others

November 30, 2019 by Kate Larsen Leave a Comment

Imagine I tell you how exhausting it’s been training a new puppy while trying to work without getting distracted. (It has.) Or how frustrating it is to have technical issues while working on my Mac. (It is!) Or how I wish my husband didn’t have to travel so much for work. (I do.) How quickly, […]

When your desire to help gets in the way

November 15, 2019 by Kate Larsen Leave a Comment

My husband affectionately created a nickname for my mom: Polly Platitude. Whenever someone had a problem, she’d pull out a platitude in her well-meaning effort to resolve the issue. Sick as a dog? “Whatever doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.” Your best friend betrays you? “Forgive and forget” because “time heals all wounds.” Your boyfriend […]

The arrogance of fixing people

October 31, 2019 by Kate Larsen 4 Comments

My husband and I attended a business event several years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed myself — or at least I thought I had. After arriving home Jack looked at me and said, “Do you realize how often you finish people’s sentences? Or give them words as they are speaking?” “Huh?” was all I could say. […]

Small Impulse vs. Big Reward: Don’t Give Up What You Want … for What You Want Right Now

September 30, 2019 by Kate Larsen Leave a Comment

Don’t ask a woman eating ice cream from a box how she’s doing. When I saw this statement on Facebook, I laughed, of course … and then considered the truth in that humor as it relates to emotional intelligence and its impact on wellness. One of the essential factors of emotional intelligence is impulse control, […]

Looking for Gift Ideas? Check Out These Books!

September 15, 2019 by Kate Larsen Leave a Comment

If you’re shopping for someone who loves to learn, give a great book! Here are some ideas for you. Kate’s Favorite Books! What are your favorites and why?

Three Aha! moments that changed my client’s life

August 31, 2019 by Kate Larsen 1 Comment

Sheila (not her real name) is an incredibly intelligent, successful doctor. She has years of experience in a role that greatly impacts and influences a varied, large number of people. It wouldn’t surprise me if many of those people look at Sheila and admire her quiet confidence, strength of character and ability to get results. […]

What I Learned From An Older Mom: It Isn’t What You Think

August 15, 2019 by Kate Larsen Leave a Comment

Do you absolutely LOVE getting unsolicited advice from people? Are you thrilled when people show off their wisdom without first understanding your needs? Does it impress you to no end when someone takes charge of the conversation without leaving room for discussion and collaboration? Me neither. When I was a young mom, I met an […]

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Recent Posts

  • Stop setting goals — or at least read this first
  • Hush those justifications in your head
  • Assumptions hinder helping
  • Using duct tape to help others
  • When your desire to help gets in the way

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Progress Not Perfection


"Progress Not Perfection will help all who read it—just as Kate’s inspired coaching has assisted so many over the years. Don’t miss this book."

—Ken Blanchard, Coauthor The One Minute Manager and The Secret

Copyright © 2014 Kate Larsen.