When we are curious, we are better at assessing a situation, seeing what is really happening, coming up with better solutions using all available information, and retaining that learning to apply to the next situation. As you move into this holiday season, I encourage you to find opportunities to open yourself up to curiosity and wonder in your conversations.
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When your amygdala senses that any of those things are risk, it activates the most primitive parts of your brain to react with fight or flight. Even when the most evolved and empowering next step would be to seek understanding. If you want to not suck at difficult communication, the solution is to develop a practice that allows you to manage yourself and become adept at hacking the primitive reaction.
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One of the most pressing challenges that I am hearing about involves employees being resistant to necessary changes. Especially from employees who are not normally resistant. Let's talk about how you can speak your truth about staff’s disruptive behavior with empathy, compassion, with a focus on the good of the whole.
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Many people experience an excess of strife by constantly responding to the shoulds in their life. Have you noticed how “should” statements are often used to convince us something is “the best,” when they really just restrict and minimize us? Here’s a few ways to turn those “shoulds” around.
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Is your organization doing well but struggling to find money to invest back in? I’d bet you’ve looked under every rock, cut every expense, and maybe held back on raises, bonuses, and new staff – and yet you still don’t have any Sticky Money.
Well, I’ll tell you: It’s in your labor and benefits line item BUT not in the way you may be thinking.
Listen in to learn about Sticky Money, the surprising way you’re wasting resources, and how we can help you plug those leaks and capture money to reinvest.
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How many management or leadership classes have you participated in? If you are like most of the people I work with, your answer is more than six. And, like them, you may be wondering why managing and leading people still feels burdensome even after time spent in all those trainings.
Having worked with so many leaders and managers who want to make their work more easeful and rewarding, I have ideas and insights on lessening your leadership load. Listen in for five tips from my 20 years of experience and learning.
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I often hear from people that they have coworkers, friends, and even family members who they no longer feel the same level of connection with because of disagreements, differences of opinion, different worldviews, or conflict.
So, today, we’ll explore 10 simple ways to experience a deeper sense of connection and a deeper sense of peace, plus where to start looking for peace, joy, love, abundance, appreciation, and connection. (Hint: it’s one place you’ll always find them!)
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I had to fire a few people today, and it wasn’t pretty. I will miss them, but their banishment from the office was for the good of the whole. Their names, you ask? Somebody, Nobody and, occasionally, Anybody. The reasons for their immediate termination were quite clear…
Listen in or read on for the 5 reasons I gave that trio the boot, the trouble with the ‘Bodies, and what it means for your organization or team – or even your family – when those three are hanging around.
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I’ve helped a wide range of organizations, companies, and government agencies navigate the challenges inherent in growth and change. So, when I listened to a podcast where Dr. Dan Diamond explores what makes people resilient and committed when working for the greater good, I realized what he shares is as applicable to corporations and government agencies as it is to nonprofits.
Here are his key points that align perfectly with the advice, coaching, and consultation I provide on navigating big change.
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Join Beth Wonson as she enjoys a talk with her mentor and friend, Betsey Nash. After many years in the human resources field and as “authoritative center of the universe on the central coast of California for HR and important human relations issues,” Betsey is on the cusp of retirement. But before she goes, she shares her philosophies of work and leadership while Beth treats her to words of thanks, praise, and congratulations from leaders who have worked with her.
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Whether in the workplace or at home, when people remain caught in the swirl of their unspoken stories – stories comprised of fear, angst, “what ifs,” and “they shoulds” – it creates a culture heavy with discord. But when people are trained and skillful in setting those emotional stories aside to speak their truth based on facts, there is a culture of harmony.
Read on or listen in for a case study about peeling away the emotions and getting at the facts, plus two simple ways to identify the truth.
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The more I engage and do consulting work with organizations, the more I see that the core thing causing us to get into conflicts, waste time, create drama and chaos, and have a strong negative impact on productivity is that people are less and less skillful in the emotional literacy realm.
Listen in or read on for a definition of emotional literacy plus a story that showcases low emotional literacy skills and how they can affect an organization’s bottom line.
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Have you ever made a new hire – or been a part of the team that made a new hire – and after a few weeks, you begin to get that sinking feeling of “Oh no, we made a mistake…”?
If so, you are not alone. Bringing on new talent is one of the most challenging tasks that anyone has to deal with. There are so many complex variables in making a good hire, but only seven ways we make a bad one.
Read on or listen in for how to remedy seven bad hire habits, from ambiguous goals to hidden expectations.
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I often hear from people that there are friends, coworkers, and even family members who they no longer feel the same level of connection with because of disagreements, differences of opinion, different worldviews, or conflict.
So, today, I want to focus on some simple strategies that will help you experience a deeper sense of connection and a deeper sense of peace. So, here we go with 10 strategies for feeling more connected...
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We put so much effort and attention into counting dollars, tracking expenses, investing in the newest technology, and charting our strategic pathway to the future – and those are all valuable activities. But it is the rare leader who connects a dollar value to every minute spent in putting off direct feedback and clearing up petty conflicts, confused communication, and ongoing office drama.
Listen in or read on for more on where time (and therefore money) gets wasted and what you can do about it.
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Many years ago, the National Indian Youth Leadership Project’s Mac Hall taught me an incredible lesson about bringing programs into the world. He said, “We only go where we are invited,” meaning we could provide information, but we wait to be asked. We didn’t assume we knew what was best for a community. Instead, we trusted that, when the time was right, their invitation would come.
Listen in (or read on) for more about my time on the Acoma Pueblo and working with Mac, and also my invitation for you.
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Do you easily make commitments to behavioral changes, but you struggle with following through? The keys to fulfilling your commitments despite external and internal challenges are found in the ancient story of Ulysses and the Sirens’ deadly song.
He had himself tied to the mast of his ship and his crew’s ears plugged so they wouldn’t be tempted to their doom, but you can simply think about when and how you’ll need support, and then ask for it. Read on or listen in for more about this commonly missing piece…
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Isolation is a common thread among leaders who wish they hadn’t gone into leadership. The higher you move up in an organization, the less time there is to work in your area of passion and strength, the more you become the guard dog and keeper of secrets, and the fewer people you can talk to about decisions that weigh on your heart.
Listen in for six characteristics of isolated leaders plus three simple strategies they can use to re-engage with their work, their life, and the people around them.
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My experience in working with this young man taught me far more than I ever taught him. One of the biggest Ahas was how when humans – youth or adults – feel vulnerable about their skillset or abilities, and they are in an environment where they believe it isn’t safe to reveal those deficits and ask for help, they will create a distraction. In the world of work, this distraction is generally drama, chaos, and unhealthy conflict.
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In an informal observation, a group – comprised of one person identified as the leader and several of their staff – was served a plate of cookies. There were precisely enough cookies for everyone to have one, and then there was one extra cookie.
Those not identified as the leader politely took one cookie each and left the spare. After a bit of time, the identified leader walked up and took the extra cookie. To my surprise, this occurred in group after group. Wondering why? Read on to learn how an increase in power can lead to a decrease in empathy.
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