Healthy Work Environment Tip of the Week

Last week we posted about how using nonviolent communication in the workplace can help create a healthy work environment. One tip we offered was to ditch your judgments and focus on objectively observing the instant situation. In other words, be present for what really is.  But how do we do that? Before we give you the…

Creating Synergy at Work

Having trouble creating synergy at your workplace? I hate to break this to you, but it might just be YOU. Many of us don’t take the time to consider how we communicate when conflict arises. Unfortunately, most of us have been trained to speak a language that encourages us to alienate ourselves, through our communication…

Leveraging Resistance

Resistance has the power to derail the best of plans, but acknowledging it with empathy and compassion might just engage the leverage you need to achieve your goals. Like most things in life, resistance has a spectrum. On one end, it shows up as avoidance or maybe a little passive aggressive.  One the opposite end,…

It’s A Great Day to Celebrate!

Great leaders understand organizational success requires commitment to core values and goals; authentic and timely communication; collaboration to identify the best possible action plans, timelines, and solutions; and, they know how and when to celebrate! Indeed, great leaders celebrate! They celebrate the big wins of course, but more importantly, they seek opportunities to celebrate the…

Success Requires Communication

Twenty years ago as a new manager in the insurance industry, I remember being told by a corporate leadership trainer “the key to being a successful manager is Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!” I also remember looking skeptically into the eyes of that trainer and thinking “Really? You are getting paid to tell me I need to…

End Angry Arguments Now: Tips For Easy Conflict Resolution

Angry arguments benefit no one.  In fact, they are a great big waste of time. I’m sure you agree quick conflict resolution and productive discussions win over drawn-out battles any day. Obviously it takes time to participate in an angry argument, but also consider the time you waste re-hashing it, justifying it, and “strategizing” your next move in…

Why Are You So Difficult? Tips for finding the opportunities within conflict

“Why is he/she fighting me on this?”…“How come every time he/she opens his/her mouth, I get aggravated?”…”I’m right darn it! Why can’t he/she understand that?!”… I’ve heard variations of these questions posed many times over the years. Heck, I’ve been known to ask them myself. The answers to these, and every other conflict-related question, are…

Stop Hiding Your Brilliance and Succeed at Public Speaking

Stop Hiding Your Brilliance and Succeed at Public Speaking

Did you know, according to many researchers, public speaking ranks as the most terrifying thing a person can attempt to do? If you Google “top fears”, regardless of the researcher or institute, public speaking consistently makes it into the top five – usually #1 or 2. It outranks snakes, flying, confined spaces, heights, and even intimacy. Yikes!

Love, Lies and Mudslinging: Welcome to Mediation!

Love, Lies and Mudslinging: Welcome to Mediation! Mediation can be a stressful and arduous process. Emotions often run high as positions are expressed and interests are explored. Sometimes participants are even surprised by the twists and turns the process takes, as motivating factors and priorities are brought to light. Not long ago I mediated a…

Navigate Through Tough Days

Every now and then, a day comes along when it feels like “Murphy’s Law” is working overtime. I had to navigate through one of those days recently. It went like this: I had a Monday morning mediation in Naples, with six participants that were all traveling from out of town to a neutral site.  I…

CONFLICT = OPPORTUNITY

How to recognize the opportunities hidden within conflict Conflict happens.  Did you ever hear the one about the elephant and the three blind men? Three blind men went to the circus and came upon an elephant. There were no elephants where they came from, and they were thrilled to encounter such a great beast. The…