Do Your Questions Really Matter? 4 Types of Questions to Improve Results
Many years ago, I was assigned a business coach as part of my professional development plan. At first I didn’t really think that I needed a coach to help me grow and develop in my career aspirations....
View ArticleCan You Follow the Current in a Conversation? 8 Tips for Staying in the Flow
While I was in college, I worked during the summers as a whitewater guide running the rapids in Grand Canyon, Arizona. One of the first things that you learn as a guide is to follow the current of the...
View ArticleDo You Know How to Engage with Shy People? 7 Tips for Increasing Engagement
Late last year I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful writer on an article dealing with how to engage with people who are shy. During the editing process, much of the original information was...
View ArticleEight Tips for Dealing with Irrational People
After running the river for a number of years, my curiosity finally got the best of me. I wondered what it would be like to swim one of the major rapids. With some hesitation, I put on an extra life...
View ArticleDo You Fake Talk When Serving Others? Eight Tips for Improving Your Customer...
I had an opportunity to speak at a conference late last year. The weather was wonderful, the people were receptive and engaging, and the conference was excellently run and sponsored. Everything went...
View ArticleAre You A Fake Talker? (Part 1) Seven Tactics That Don’t Get Results
As I have traveled around the country speaking, I have frequently been asked, “Can you give us some examples of ‘fake talk’? We’re not sure exactly what that means.” You’ll remember that fake talk is...
View ArticleAre You A Fake Talker? (Part 2) Seven More Tactics That Don't Get Results
Nothing can be more frustrating than trying to talk to someone who engages in some form of fake talk. Because there are so many opportunities to talk about what matters most both at home and at work,...
View ArticleDo You Foster a Culture of Encouragement? Eight Questions for Improving Your...
This past week, I had the opportunity to watch one of my favorite college basketball teams win their quarterfinal contest in the NIT. What was so memorable about this game was that one of the team’s...
View ArticleWhat Voices Are You Listening To? Steps toward Achieving a Productive Life
Recently in my community, a respected professional took his life. His wife and children were heart-broken at the passing of their father. This event caused me to ask myself, “What voices am I...
View ArticleDo Your Stories Keep You Stuck? Eight Questions for Expanding Your Thinking
Exploring the assumptions or stories behind people’s behavior is a fascinating pursuit. Recently a friend told me a wild story about his mother that gave me cause to think about how our stories keep...
View ArticleWhat Messages Are You Sending? Nine Questions for Improving Your Broadcast...
A number of years ago, I was asked to coach an individual who had pretty much alienated everyone with whom he worked. When I was asked to work with him, I asked why his rehabilitation was so...
View ArticleDoes Your History Impact Your Message? Seven Mindsets that Impact the Way You...
Awhile back as I was going to bed, my wife said to me, “John I don’t know if I can stay married to you much longer.” After I got over the initial shock, I asked her what was going on. She replied, “It...
View ArticleNine Questions to Consider When Changing Your Culture
When I first started working in the field of organizational development, my mentors told me three things that I always needed to remember about change: people don’t like it; people don’t understand...
View ArticleAre Your People on Board? 6 Questions You Need to Answer if You Want Change...
In one of the first cultural change projects that I worked on, I was tasked with teaching company members process improvement and critical thinking skills. The organization was committed to involving...
View ArticleWhat Should We Remember on Memorial Day? Seven Values To Remember
A number of years ago, I was doing some work in Washington D.C. I hadn’t had much of an opportunity to see some of the sights around town, so as soon as my work was over, I did a quick tour in the...
View ArticleHave You Learned Your Lessons? 11 Communication Tips for Improving Your...
I once worked with a company during a change initiative when a company’s business was not going particularly well. The CEO called a meeting of his upper management to discuss how things weren’t going...
View ArticleDo You Follow the Facts? Three Tips for Strengthening Your Conversations
Recently I was discussing with a friend the importance of facts or evidence in conversation. My friend told me the following story about a wayward son. It seems that his son was staying out all hours...
View ArticleWhat Freedom Do You Value Most? Seven Freedoms That You May Take For Granted
My uncle Mel recently passed away after living a wonderful life. He was one of those brave souls who fought in World War II and was lucky to make it home. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was...
View ArticleAre You Wearing the Emperor's New Clothes? Six Questions for Improving...
We are all familiar with the Hans Christian Anderson story of the emperor who thought that he was arrayed in magnificent attire when in reality he was naked. And no one would tell him what was obvious...
View ArticleAre You Lost in Your Assumptions? Seven Questions for Challenging the...
A good friend of mine recently sent me a link to an interesting article.It seems a summer intern was not particularly happy with the strictness of the company’s dress code. This person decided to let...
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