8 Ways to Appreciate Our Country
At the end of the sixties, I was a young college student, the Vietnam War was finally ending, and I had the opportunity to leave the country and venture to France. On my first weekend in the north of...
View Article9 Tips for Creating a Positive Change in Your Culture
Many of the organizations that I have worked in this year are involved in dramatic change. They are doing more to meet the increasing demands of customers in order to compete with companies within...
View Article11 Questions for Evaluating Your Effectiveness
I was recently facilitating a class for executives teaching them how to hold potentially difficult conversations. One of the attendees asked me, “With all that we already have to do, is this really all...
View Article5 Questions That Can Change Your Life
Sometimes we are simply unconsciously conscious. We walk around in the light of day, but we are unaware of where we are, where we’re going, or what we’re doing. Not until we have passed the exit do we...
View ArticleCan You Deal with Those Who Are Negative?
Over the past year I have been involved with a number of change initiatives that companies are implementing to improve their business practices and competitive advantage. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote...
View ArticleHow Do You Handle a Naysayer? Eight Tips for Managing Those Who Are Negative
Recently, I was writing at the local university, and I ran into a friend that works for the construction department on campus. He asked me for a few ideas for handling a “naysayer” at work. It seems...
View ArticleHow Do You Manage a Bad Situation?
I was recently stuck in Phoenix on the way to El Paso because of a malfunction on our aircraft. You know the drill. Everyone is on the plane and then they announce that something isn’t working....
View ArticleCan You Teach A Pig to Sing?
Earlier in the year I spent two days working with and teaching a number individuals helping them improve their ability to hold difficult conversations. After the session one of the organization’s...
View ArticleAre You Afraid of Conflict? Nine Steps to Resolving Conflict
June works for a company that develops software applications to help organizations track their sales. Because she is involved with the implementation and troubleshooting of her company’s product, she...
View ArticleDo You Communicate to Control or to Connect?
Years ago I started to notice that the way I spoke to my children did not produce the desired results. I remember one day when my oldest brought home a B- in math, and I said something like, “You got a...
View Article9 Strategies to Becoming a Fantastic Listener
Not long ago I was reflecting on a conversation that I had with my spouse. I thought that I had not been a very good listener in a conversation that we had about an hour earlier. Knowing that she was...
View ArticleWhat Kind of a Listener Are You? (Part 1)
Having traveled and spoken a lot this year, it is always interesting to see what learning lessons will emerge from the people that I address. I recently conducted a session with a large group with one...
View ArticleWhat Kind of a Listener Are You? (Part 2)
Last week I identified six different types of listeners that you may encounter and what you might do to help improve the listening experience with them. On the other hand, if you discovered that you...
View ArticleHow to Assess the Quality of your Relationships
Sometimes I just can’t pass up a good story. Here is one that my financial planner told me this week. It seems that he was out to lunch with one of his clients. While eating, his client was approached...
View ArticleCan You Talk About What Matters Most? Four Skills for Creating REAL...
When I ask folks why they refuse to talk about what matters most, the most frequently offered response is, “I don’t know how to do it.” Whatever your response may be, the consequences are always the...
View Article10 Tips for Improving Your Gratitude
Recently, I was looking for an opportunity to write something about gratitude. Being stuck in an airport and waiting for a flight that had been cancelled gave me the opportunity to interview people and...
View Article7 Tips for Forgiving Others
During the Thanksgiving holiday, I had the opportunity to spend time with a number of family members. One of them was very frustrated by a situation that occurred where they were unduly wronged by...
View Article8 Tips on Making a Difference in Your World
Last year I worked right up to the week before Christmas. I had just finished a week of training, and I was ready to fly back to Utah from Westchester, New York for the holidays. I arrived at the...
View ArticleYour Awareness Can Improve Your Results! 7 Questions for Improving Your...
During the holidays, my youngest children rigged a booby trap in our Christmas tree, so if Santa Claus touched the tree a little bell would sound the alarm. I was really quite amazed at their...
View ArticleFear of Failure? 10 Tips to Insure Your Success
At the beginning of a new year, we often begin new projects and set goals for ourselves. Many times our attempts at improvement are not as successful or don’t deliver the results that we expected....
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