What Are We Fighting About?
The grief is searing and seemingly boundless. In an instant, the world changed. Two boys, 24 and 20, on route home with their dog, their lives stretching endlessly ahead of them. They are happy, healthy—full of energy, aspirations and love. Their lives end in what seems to the rest of us as a flash. One [...]
Strategic Planning or Strategic Choking?
Scene One: I am called in to meet with a board of directors. They would like me to facilitate a strategic planning process for them. This will be my fourth strategic planning engagement with this organization, spanning almost 20 years. The board members are peppering me with the usual questions: How much will it cost? [...]
Conflict Training 101: “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall”
I had an experience in the realm of conflict training that I am reluctant to write about, but I think it’s worth sharing. I had been looking for particular kind of vendor. I interviewed several companies and got a few proposals. In the end, I engaged a woman whose skills seemed to fit my needs [...]
Discovering a Work-Life Balance
There are days I feel like a speeding train. I imagine my list of to-do’s as a pile of cafeteria trays. I pull one off and another pops up. I can’t work fast enough, and I feel that I have an unending list. I find myself constantly looking at my computer or my iPhone. My [...]
Deer in the Headlights: Navigating Difficult Conversations
This week a woman approached me and said, “I often get in a situation with co-workers in which they say something that leaves me speechless, and I feel like a deer in the headlights. I don’t have a response. What do I do?” Her experience is a common one. We often get caught off guard [...]