


“I Don’t Feel Appreciated”
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhen I begin working with organizations, people frequently report that a significant challenge for them is a lack of appreciation. Leadership and front-line staff alike say they give their all and don’t always feel valued for their...
Mental Health: Creating Safe Spaces
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“We have brains in order to get along with each other, to be with other people, to connect with other people. That’s really what we are fundamentally all about. And so, much of trauma is about a rupture of the safety of the people...
Why Servant Leadership Can Sometimes Be Top Down
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“The goal of many leaders is to get people to think more highly of the leader. The goal of a great leader is to help people to think more highly of themselves.” ― J. Carla Nortcutt, Professor When it comes to being human, no...
Complicity
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people.” Martin Luther King, Jr. Someone cautioned me recently that I would offend people because I brought...
A Fool with a Tool is Still a Fool
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“A fool with a tool is still a fool.” Grady Booch, American Software Engineer In any situation involving significant transformation, the most important change process is the one within, one’s mindset. In my 12-month culture...
Your Greatest Barrier Is Your Pain Tolerance
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“…Sometimes I suspect that what had really happened was that we became more resigned, more cynical, raised our pain thresholds as we lowered our expectations. All in all, we settled for less.” Emma Donoghue, Playwright It’s...
Can Love Be Here Too?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.” —Brené Brown As I work with clients on their personal and professional development or help friends and family who are working...
Seize Opportunities Within the Great Resignation
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“The true test of character is to live win-win even when promoted to positions where win-lose is possible.” ― Orrin Woodward If you search google, you’ll find The Great Resignation is defined as an informal name for the...
Shifting Social Power Relations
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“To reflect upon the present as history is to understand that history may now be made by default. Understanding that, we no longer need accept as “necessary” the lesser evil. We no longer need to accept historical fate, for fate is...
The Danger in Larger-Than-Life Heroes
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“The danger in larger-than-life heroes is that many get affixed to their perceived status and achievements to the cost of themselves and others.” Judy Ryan, CEO LifeWork Systems I have met leaders who have accomplished great things....
An Inclusive Culture is a Winning Culture
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr What a noteworthy time...
Are Your People High Performing?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Michael Jordan “You can motivate by fear, and you can motivate by reward. But both those methods are only temporary. The only lasting thing is self-motivation.”...
Mentoring to Develop Your People
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin “Your most important task as a leader is to teach people how to think and ask the right questions so that the world doesn’t go to hell if you take a day off” Jeffrey Pfeffer In our culture transformation model, a key...
S.L.A.M. Say Less; Ask More
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Edith Wharton, a novelist Many people confuse leading people with managing people and caring for or loving people with worry or concern for...
Episode 7 – Game Changing Appreciative Inquiry
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Power Distance Index – Managing Relationships with Authority
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Some societies and religions have a tendency to expand the moral circle and to consider all humans as belonging to a single moral community.” Geert Hofstede, Social Psychologist I was re-reading Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers and...
Globalization – Embracing Our Oneness
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Accordingly, globalization is not only something that will concern and threaten us in the future, but something that is taking place in the present and to which we must first open our eyes.” Ulrich Beck, German Sociologist and...
The Path (Back) to Being Authentic
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so, and confided themselves...
Engaging People In Life and Work
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Personal power is the ability to stand on your own two feet with a smile on your face in the middle of a universe that contains a million ways to crush you.” ― J.Z. Colby, Journey As a business leader, you don’t want to be one of...
Honesty is the Best Policy – or is it?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Failure of an employee to speak up in a crucial moment cannot be seen. This is true whether that employee is on the front lines of customer service or sitting next to you in the executive board room. And because not offering an...
Why Transparency CAN Become a Bloodbath
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Killers aren’t always assassins. Sometimes, they don’t even have blood on their hands.” ~ Ruta Sepetys, Author I once knew a school teacher who quit her job teaching 8th graders (which she loved) to work for my...
Managing Frustrations in a Frustrating World
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Face challenges, fear, and frustration by seeking out knowledge and opportunities for growth.” ~ Fanny Mairena Today’s leaders must be powerful without entering into the fray caused by frustration. They must refrain...
Discarding the Monster Box
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“A man who picks up a cat by its tail will learn a lesson he can learn no other way.” ~ Mark Twain Your business will improve if you remember some important facts. One is that we are all more alike than different. The other is...
Is Love More Powerful Than Hate?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“You are a child of God. You’re playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.” Marianne Williamson I often...
Breaking the Addiction to Approval
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”...
Is Your Workplace Psychologically Safe?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“In general, only a child who feels safe dares to grow forward healthily. His safety needs must be gratified. He can’t be pushed ahead, because the ungratified safety needs will remain forever underground, always calling for...
Devil’s Advocate and Brutal Honesty
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Never play the Devil’s Advocate. Your words could be the difference between success and failure in someone else.” Ingrid Weir Too often I hear people say, “I’m going to play Devil’s advocate now” to which I quickly reply, “Please...
The Crucial Role of Honor, Dignity and Respect
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Do the best that you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou All one has to do is turn on the news or get on social media to see that honoring oneself and one another and treating oneself and...
Just Use Common Sense, Or Should You?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinA woman was preparing a roast and as was her common practice she cut off both ends of it and threw them away. One day her husband asked, “Why do you always cut off the ends and throw them away?” to which she replied, “That’s how my...
When You Can’t Help or Fix A Relationship
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinDon’t blame a clown for acting like a clown. Ask yourself why you keep going to the circus. ~ Unknown Sometimes we keep going to the circus because we don’t realize that’s where we are. Someone recently asked, “what...
Kinds Of People You Need
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” Harry Truman No matter what your role, you have an important mission and vision to...
Meeting Our Needs and Those Of Others
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinOur Basic Social Needs: Belonging and Significance Beyond basic survival, we all want to experience a healthy sense of belonging and significance through our four core social needs: to feel powerful, lovable, connected and...
The Courage To Be Disliked
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“When we least expect it, life sets up a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will...
Your Secret Weapon: Informal Influencers
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinTo get these influencers to model the desired behaviour, you need their buy-in. Gather them together for a closed-door session and explain why their role is crucial. Often, it just takes an open conversation to help them understand...
Advantages of Cross-Functional Teamwork
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinOne of the biggest challenges leaders face, according to Deloitte, is organizational design. Specifically, redesigning their structures through teams. The line and block hierarchy found on a company org chart isn’t how work actually...
Reciprocal Care in Hierarchical Exchange
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinLeaders play a key role in creating a work environment that enables employees to fulfill their creative and innovative potential, generate new ideas, and implement those ideas. This is a challenging task because generating and...
The Ideal Millennial Work Environment
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinThere are a number of things that guide millennials in the workplace. They want to be happier than their parents, find more purposeful work and work with better companies. Millennials want their companies to align with their values....
If Not Punishment, Then What?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinToxic Shame is a neurotic, irrational feeling of worthlessness, humiliation, self-loathing and paralyzing feeling that has been inflicted onto an individual through repeated, traumatic experiences often, but not always, rooted in...
How Can I Motivate Them?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams In my work with clients, I often hear, “How can I motivate this person to do what they’re...
Emotional Presence: It’s Good Business!
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“The affairs of the heart are directly connected to the brain and it’s theheart’s natural intelligence that must be unfolded for the brain to operate with greater efficiency.” Magical Child, Joseph...
Disengagement is Betrayal
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,...
Encouragement vs. Praise
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Humans need encouragement much like plants need water… We constantly encourage or discourage those around us and thereby contribute materially to their greater or lesser ability to function.” Rudolf Dreikurs, Author, Psychologist...
Loved AND Lovable
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Elizabeth Appell In my work, I help people take the risk to blossom. I tell business leaders, employees,...
Be Your Most Imaginal Self!
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” Proverb Consider the following ellipses from the books “Butterfly,” by Norie Huddle, and “Waking the Global Heart,” by Anodea Judith. Caterpillars are...
Choose Helpful AND Harmless
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“It always seems impossible until it is done” Nelson Mandela I often reflect on how many people are “checked out” at work, home, and school; they are suffering and barely surviving, rather than overcoming and...
Get More Selfish!
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Whether you believe it a moral imperative or enlightened self-interest, securing the conditions that will lead to a healthy, prosperous future for everyone is a goal I believe we all share.” Bill Gates We are often...
Your Powerful Agreements
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive –to be alive and express what we really are. Just being our self is the biggest fear of humans.” Don Miguel Ruiz “There is no...
I Can’t be a Good Boss & a Friend too
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“To power up the whole system involves learning to bring the heart and mind into a creative joint venture. Heart intelligence supplies balanced strength and allows more of one’s individual spirit — the passionate...
Men & Women Leading Together
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“In the end, what will hurt the most is not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King, Jr. I sent a TED talk to a male friend, entitled Violence Against Women; it’s a Men’s...
The Need for Patience & Reassurance
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“It’s not our job to play judge and jury, to determine who is worthy of our kindness and who is not. We just need to be kind, unconditionally and without ulterior motive, even – or rather, especially – when...
The Power of Mentoring
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” ― Plato “The mind is not a...
Does The World Need More of This?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“There is no neutral. We are either part of the problem or part of the solution.” Marianne Williamson A Crucial Question As we head into every new year, a really great question to consider as we think, speak and...
Successfully Navigate The Future
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“The most exciting breakthroughs of the twenty-first century will not occur because of technology, but because of an expanding concept of what it means to be human.” John Naisbitt Whether you welcome or resist it,...
5 Articles That Reveal The Real Value of Employee Engagement
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“The challenge is to see engagement not as a one-off activity, but as a holistic view of the employee experience… That means everything from the first moment the person applies for a job all the way through to managing work...
Why Are We So Stuck?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.” Arnold H. Glasgow This is a challenging time to be American. On the one hand people are talking about...
Leader-Follower Agility Is Crucial
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Innovation is key. Only those who have the agility to change with the market and innovate quickly will survive.” Robert Kiyosaki “Success today requires the agility and drive to constantly rethink, reinvigorate, react, and...
“I’m Sorry You Feel That Way” – “I Never Intended That…”
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“If you own the story you get to write the ending.” Brene Brown “We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.” George Bernard Shaw Why It’s Never Helpful to Say, “I’m Sorry...
Is My Business Agile?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“I submit that there must be a commitment to, practice of, and execution of professional common behaviors and the presence of highly communicated standardized organizational expectations – without which there are no supports...
What Does “I’m Right; You’re Wrong” Cost?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Remember, we see the world not as it is but as we are. Most of us see through the eyes of our fears and our limiting beliefs and our false assumptions.” Robin S. Sharma “Don’t Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask...
Bridging Differences For Diversity & Inclusion Excellence!
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and...
Recalibrating Your Business – A Focus on Shifting Company Culture Pays Off
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinMany companies claim to focus on creating a supportive and effective culture. But just what does that look like in the real world? KolbeCo Marketing Resources offers one example. When he finally arrived home, Scott Kolbe made a...
What’s Love Got to Do With It?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhether we want to associate love with our businesses or not, the presence of love or the lack of it, plays a powerful role in our ROI. It affects our profitability, health, employee engagement, teamwork, customer satisfaction; all...
You Make Sense & Deserve Compassion
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinEveryone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always. Unknown What if you knew every reaction (and even what you fear are over-reactions) you experience is based on legitimate reasons and deserves...
Do You (Really) Believe in Win/Win?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Lead the life that will make you kindly and friendly to everyone, and you will be surprised what a happy life you will lead.” Charles M. Schwab When most people are asked if they believe in and want win/win, they answer with the...
Don’t Hold Up Progress
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility . . . In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take on responsibility.” Michael Korda...
Are you Strategically Aligned?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Henry David Thoreau What many business owners...
Help People Conceive, Believe, & Achieve
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinThe difference between an idea and a commitment is the difference between knowing about a new tool and using it in your everyday life as a new habit and way of operating. The greatest challenge many of my clients encounter as they...
What is Social Interest? Does it Matter?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinThink of people you know and admire a lot. What qualities do you like most about them? How do they make you feel? Chances are they are people who banish inferiority feelings in others and cause a positive experience instead. They...
Power Over? Power Under? Power Within!
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Nelson Mandela I was born and raised in Ferguson, MO and recent events there have...
Building Caring Connections
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Theodore Roosevelt “Caring about others, running the risk of feeling, and leaving an impact on people, brings happiness.” Harold Kushner I frequently...
Could Your Head Be Buried In The Sand?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people.” Isaac Newton You’ve seen it happen to others and you may have already experienced it yourself: shocking setbacks in running your business....
A Happy Community Works, Plays, & Serves Together
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinA Happy Community Works, Plays, & Serves. Leaders determine the happiness of their workplace community. When you think of a happy community, you likely picture good team players that pitch in, are positive and manage themselves...
You’re Not The Boss of Me!
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Trying to win a power struggle is like trying to win a nuclear war. You may achieve your goal, but not without catastrophic casualties on both sides.” Jamie Raser, Author of Raising Children You Can Live With A man I know...
Key to Your Joy: Honor Your Sensitivity
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness…Highly sensitive people are too often perceived as weaklings or damaged goods. To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness, it is the trademark of the truly alive and...
Part 1 of 5 – Gathering Requirements
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinYou successfully started your business and now it’s growing. You may be wondering, “Are we as productive as we could be despite the fact we’re hiring more people?” It’s not enough to run and grow your business. Your ability to...
Get Along. Get Inspired. Get Results.
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Before one can hit a grand-slam home run, it first requires singles, doubles or triples.” Unknown Every business owner sets up their organization with high hopes and a dream of making a difference, yet all the great ideas...
Redirecting Negative Behavior
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“A misbehaving person is a discouraged person.” ~ Dr. Rudulf Dreikurs Are you challenged by poor behavior? Could it be discouragement despite appearances? What thoughts do you think, words do you say to and about them, and what...
Holding Others Accountable
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“The committed heart finds a way. The uncommitted heart finds an excuse.” Unknown Your daughter or son agrees to complete a chore and you arrive home only to find it incomplete once again. You ask one of your employees to contribute...
Being Trustworthy Isn’t Building Trust
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” Stephen R. Covey I teach and consult on the importance of the following eight...
Let’s Break a Rule: the 20/80 Rule
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“We all have burdens and we need to learn to carry each other’s burdens, lighten each other’s load.” Ann Romney Improve Your Employee AND Customer Satisfaction Your customer satisfaction is directly tied to your...
Cover Story on Culture Change
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed – the culture reflects the realities of people working together everyday.” Frances Hesselbein A Focus on Shifting Company...
It Takes a Village
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Everybody in a village had a role to play in bringing up a child—and cherishing it—and in return that child would in due course feel responsible for everybody in that village. That is what makes life in society possible. We must...
Are You a Leader Others Follow?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams Your role is THE determining factor in whether you drive and sustain positive change ...
1. Straightforwardness: Dare I Tell it Like It Is?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinThe most important relationship to manage is with our self. A trustworthy person practices honesty, straightforwardness, respect, receptivity, recognition, keeping commitments, seeking excellence and disclosure, the eight values...
2. Honesty: Don’t Play Others, Don’t Play You!
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“When you face a choice between being polite and being honest, err on the side of the truth. It’s better to be disliked but respected than to be liked and disrespected. In the long run, the people we trust the most are those who...
3. Receptivity: Are You Receptive?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Receptivity and sensitiveness are what makes one’s behavior endearing and enriching. Do not try to thrust your likes and dislikes on others. Try instead, to find out what those around would expect from you and where you can...
4. Disclosure: Will You Show Us Who YOU Are?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Shame derives its power from being unspeakable.” Brené Brown, Author, Speaker I teach eight values needed to build trust: honesty, straightforwardness, respect, receptivity, recognition, keeping commitments, seeking...
5. Respect: Valuing Unconditionally
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Respect yourself and others will respect you.” ― Confucius This article on respect is the seventh in my series on the eight values that build trust. I always pair the word respect with mutual because one is not possible...
6. Recognition: Why is Recognition Important To Trust?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”...
7. Follow-Through: Do I Mean What I Say?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Intent without action will leave every word that I use to describe my intent as empty and best never said.” Craig D. Lounsbrough Imagine you ask someone to do something and they agree. You count on it, and then come to find...
Why Are You Here?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Believe in your heart that you’re meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.” Roy T. Bennett, Author, The Light in the Heart You’re challenged by a co-worker, client, friend or child; you’re up...
How Do I Deal With That Annoying Person?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“There is nothing so annoying as having two people talking when you’re busy interrupting.” Mark Twain You know that person who cracks a joke at an inopportune moment? Taps their pen on the conference room desk? Stands...
Reasons We Gossip & What To Do Instead
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“How would your life be different if…You walked away from gossip and verbal defamation? Let today be the day…You speak only the good you know of other people and encourage others to do the same.” Steve Maraboli, Author, Life, the...
Why Are You So Mean?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“People are not mean to us because they don’t like us, but because they don’t like themselves.” Jodi Aman What Did I Do To Deserve that?! You know those times when out of the blue, someone does or says something that shocks and...
Kinds of People I Need
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” Harry Truman An important question to consider is, “What kinds of people do I need and...
The Dysfunctional Bunch
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“Creating chaos provides excitement for some people, especially those who are uneasy with silence, those who distract themselves from their own problems by focusing outward, those who feel empty inside and need to fill themselves up...
Who Do You Think You Are?!
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinEver encounter those people you feel like asking, “Who died and made you God?” You resist supporting them, thinking and saying anything nice about or to them and even if you don’t generally gossip, they’re the ones you’re most...
Are We Compatible?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhether in business or personal relationships, a worthwhile question to ponder is what constitutes compatibility? I went to a lecture by Dr. Denbo, a local therapist, who posed this question. Most of the crowd said things like,...
Soul Mates
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinLike many of you, I’ve always wanted a soul mate – that wonderful partner who in their presence makes me feel connected and whole. The one who really gets me and who’s there for me through thick and thin, for better or worse, richer...
How do I Make All-Stars?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinby Julia Paulus (referencing Judy Ryan and LifeWork Systems) SBM, March 2010 My biggest all-star employee just left the company to work for a competitor. He was efficient, virtually mistake-free and energetic. When he...
Can a Team-Hater Engage Employees?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinby Julia Paulus (referencing Judy Ryan and LifeWork Systems) SBM, March 2010 I don’t like teams. Back in school, I hated classes when we had to do group projects. My group was always the one where a couple of people did nothing...
Game-Changing Appreciative Inquiry
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinImagine two scenarios both involving a couple struggling in their relationship and seeking marriage counseling. In the first instance, the couple is asked questions centering on their problems, including their origin and possible...
What Does it Take to Build Trust?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinI’ve delivered many team building workshops to corporations, schools and parent groups in which I focus on the behaviors that build trust and those that don’t. One behavior destructive to any team is gossip and part of my program is...
Better to Give Than Receive?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinWe often hear the phrase, “It’s better to give than receive” but is it true? The truth is, it just feels safer to give. Without equal ability to receive, a relationship is defined and limited by a certain amount of fear and...
Shift Enemies To Friends
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinHave you ever met someone you felt completely in sync with? Entrainment is a term used to express how the human body assumes a sympathetic response to stimuli much the way scientists have discovered that two heart cells put together...
Pause, Breathe and Check In
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinThich Nhat Hahn, a well- known author and Buddhist monk says we are reluctant to visit the home of our self because we are loath to face the pain, sadness and fear we might encounter there. It’s true those emotions are often...
The Biggest Loser
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinThe show “The Biggest Loser” is very popular. In it we see men and women who are determined to make monumental changes and are willing to embrace new habits and significant personal discomfort to do so. When I recently...
Reality & Realist: An Idealist’s Perspective
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinWe give and receive negative behavior based in fear and doubt every day. That’s part of our humanness. Being an idealist in the face of this behavior doesn’t mean we act as if we’ve had a lobotomy or bury our heads...
No I Won’t, You Can’t Make Me!
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinPower Struggles: Opportunities for Connection Yes, we all know what it is to be in a power struggle, whether it’s with a parent, child, spouse, lover, friend or co-worker. Power struggles are fraught with tension, anger and...
I Want. What Will I Do?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhat do I want and what am I willing to do? These are powerful questions that make up the internal dialog of those who have embraced intrinsic motivation; the process of identifying and expressing what one most loves. These are...
What & Why Emotional Intelligence
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinWe hear a lot of buzz these days about the importance of emotional intelligence (EI). What exactly is “emotional intelligence” and why do we need it? There are 4 main components: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness...
Commitment
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedin“The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all...
Am I Selfish?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinIt’s important to ask, “What do I feel and what do I want?” When we neglect to take time to consider our choices we often commit self-betrayal, which then results in betrayal of others… A friend recently called me for advice....
Organized Chaos on Purpose
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinAs a child deeply in love with nature, living on the edge of a park, and the 5th child of 6, I knew a lot about chaos, the beautiful, free, creative and exhilarating kind. Starting out free to explore, school at age 5 felt like...
Did You Hear What I Meant to Say?
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinHave you ever thought you had an agreement or understanding with someone only to find you didn’t? You thought you were clear and direct in a request, and ended up disappointed. Or have you responded to a request, only to find...
Connection: From Chaos to Community
Share this...FacebookTwitterLinkedinConnection is to humans what water is to fish; a key to our existence and a cornerstone for our behavior. We are social beings and from infancy we make decisions and set goals in response to our social framework. In community, we...