This article from a few months ago continues to hold my interest. Written pre-covid, the article makes this point: Asking, “What’s the ROI?” is dangerous if it’s your only consideration. Big data and the ease of collecting information can woo us into making decisions based only on numbers. Data is important, but values are more … Read more
Phil Hartman was one of my favorite comedians, actors, and SNL players. Over the course of his career, he started playing a lot of characters with radio announcer voices, like Troy McClure on The Simpsons. On a Mother’s Day episode of SNL, Phil asked his mom something like, “Mom, I was wondering, what does my … Read more
What do you get when you plant tulip bulbs? Tulips. What do you get you plant marigold seeds? Marigolds. What do you get when you plant nothing? Nothing. Right?Wrong. You get weeds. Right now, the weeds are coming in, and they’re coming in strong. You can’t pull all the weeds one day, then sit back, … Read more
Implicit bias is real. But when I see it in action, I feel paralyzed. Because I know I can overstep, with good intentions. When this overstepping happens, it pushes down other voices, rather than lifting them. In this scenario, I’m taking the stage and positioning myself as the savior. I understand I have a propensity … Read more
When presenting the Four Levels of Maturity as a way to adopt an others-focused mindset, I often joke that traffic is a great place to observe these levels in self and others. Maybe, though, it’s time to take it from a joke to a tool. For example… Level One is the person recklessly weaving in … Read more
This week we begin a new, seven-part series on core values. In previous blog posts, I’ve written about the importance of core values to guide work internally and externally, but over the past nine years, I’ve held back on sharing the values of Group Dynamic. Now I’m setting them free. This week is an introduction, … Read more
“Yeah, I ran over my time limit for the meeting, but if Susan had been on time, we could have started the meeting on time.” “Oh, sorry about that. Rickie forgot to include her report. She had information I needed, so mine didn’t get done.” “If you weren’t so uptight, we could have more fun … Read more
We all know that honesty, transparency, and openness builds trust which thereby builds relationships. And in conflict situations, this is still true. For some, being open and honest about their ideas, thoughts, and opinions comes naturally. For others, it’s like trying to uproot a 100-year-old cedar tree. Openness and honesty makes you vulnerable. It’s in … Read more
Beth is a sixty-two-year-old grandmother of four, who’s looking forward to retirement. She’s worked in the banking industry for forty years and knows the ins and outs of how the company functions. She’s an executive who focuses a lot of her time and energy on business strategy and investments. Armando is new to the world … Read more
Compromise is one of those things that’s easier said than done. It’s also much easier to see a compromise between people in conflict when you’re not part of the conflict. When you are, however, compromise is that elusive old friend who’s name you can never quite remember. But compromise is a powerful tool. It builds … Read more