Leaving a good job isn’t easy. You’ve built relationships, learned valuable lessons about yourself and others, and developed new skills. Your job becomes part of your life story, whether you were there for one year or for ten years. Therefore, when it’s time, leave your job with respect, dignity, and gratitude. As I reflect on … Read more
In Atomic Habits, James Clear shares one method for working on a new, intimidating habit: the two-minute rule. Instead of picking an overly long or complex habit, choose one aspect of the habit which takes two minutes. I apply this rule to writing the weekly blog. Writing the weekly blog intimidates me. I have published … Read more
After 30 years of teaching and facilitating workshops, one lesson is abundantly clear: people learn more when exploring with others. This can be in practice, breakout groups, and table discussions. Side conversations make learning real. Applying learning to real-world situations and breaking it down with the people you actually work with is the way to … Read more
I’ve been reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, and I love it. Clear emphasizes our accidental efforts to sabotage our goals by focusing too much on them. We keep trying to make goals better. For example, if our goal is to make more sales, our first inclination is to create a SMART goal. Simply making … Read more
It’s not new information to remind people of the importance of listening. We have reiterated the power of listening on this blog many times. So what’s with another post about listening? Listening is power. Active listening, aka curious listening, is first and foremost about connection. Whereas listening can be used for evil, the intention of … Read more
I get into trouble sometimes. As a presenter, I see this comment once in a while on evaluations: “He didn’t follow the handout.” My response to patterns of critical comments on evaluations is to generally take them to heart and adapt my practice so it has more impact. But not this one. Toward the beginning … Read more
An equation I’ve shared before: p=P-i If the product (p) we get is our potential (P) minus the interference (i), it’s helpful to identify the interference. One example of that is how some people react to being rushed to “think faster.” Except, hurrying doesn’t work for everyone. Have you ever been paralyzed when told to … Read more
This post is another insight I learned from reading Quiet by Susan Cain. Pressure from others or from our culture can unduly influence the choices we make, whether it’s career choices, selecting projects, or deciding what hobbies to take up. Extroverts tend to push forward and chart their own path. There’s a societal bias for … Read more
It has been a year since the world turned up side down. Whereas the lockdowns are easing, people are getting vaccinated, and life is beginning to look more like “normal,” we are faced with a hard truth: people are burned out and mental health problems continue to increase. One positive result of the pandemic is … Read more
In chapter three of Quiet, Susan Cain tells us “Collaboration Kills Creativity.” The notion that working in teams can sometimes stifle innovation has been making the rounds for a while now, and Cain provides a brilliant explanation of the phenomenon and what to do about it. She calls it the danger of the “New Groupthink:” … Read more