“Communication is a contact sport. Connect. Speak one-on-one, even in a group of 100. Make them care. Smile. Be plain-spoken and persuasive. Learn how others see you. Be a storyteller. Take advantage of unplanned humor. Keep it simple, sweetheart. Safe is a dangerous place to be – get outside your comfort zone. Have a point… View Article
I’m not tired, I’m fatigued. I’m getting sleep, but I’m not rested. The fatigue is from the mental challenge. The perpetual thinking I must do right now. It’s exhausting at times. I want a break and there seems to be no time for a break when balls are dropping and it’s messy. Ever felt this way knowing you need to rest and take… View Article
Ever been stuck approaching a challenging conversation? You know the kind, it’s one you’d rather put off than have, could be personal or professional, but it’s one you play over and over in your head to rehearse before approaching it. Me too! What works? Here are 5 ways to make it easier: If you do well with getting… View Article
I’m from Minnesota. We are branded with the phrase “Minnesota nice.” The more I learn, the less that rings true for me. Nice gets in the way of things. Nice mutes messages, placates truths, and can be a form of manipulation or pandering for approval. One definition even refers to “nice” as an acronym for “nothing in me cares enough.” If you’re one of… View Article
In a world that continues to challenge us while evolving, twisting and turning, have you stepped back to determine what’s working, what’s not and what you will and won’t change? One of the things that changed as most companies incorporated working remotely (or what I refer to as mobile), is we increased the frequency and methods of… View Article
Silence. It can be the most welcoming, enveloping, and peaceful experience when outside standing still with snow falling soundlessly on a winter’s night. Silence can be the space you need to create, imagine, and renew. Silence can be a mechanism to contain your feelings when angry, confused, overwhelmed, or to demonstrate to someone you are disconnecting. Silence can… View Article
This week’s practice is the “stop doing list” according to the Whole Life Challenge. It’s one I appreciate and have used for years. And yet, this is a time to revisit it in the pursuit of consistently and incrementally improving. While they’re asking for three things to stop, I’ve also included a guideline for myself to add a “stop doing” for anything I add to… View Article
As I contemplated what to write for the blog today, the only thing on my mind was the inauguration. So many things swirling in my thoughts amid the chaos of the first weeks of the year. Inauguration literally means “a ceremony to mark the beginning of something.” On my wish list of what this inauguration is the beginning… View Article
THE PRESENT OF TIME Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening it deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!!! Each of us has such a bank. … View Article
“We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” Today, as I contemplate the state of affairs in our world, I am leaning heavily on Martin Luther King Jr’s wisdom to maintain being present at this time. Somehow his legacy being celebrated today is perfectly fitting. I have fear at this time, yet I will not be… View Article
Online Learning Spotlight
Communication Catalyzer Bundle: Winning Strategies for Stress-Free Communication