Where are you right now? Are you driving while your mind is back in your last conversation or thinking about the one you plan to have later? Are you typing an email while your attention is focused on the conversation in the next cubicle? Are you working on a report while imagining how heavy traffic […]
Read More →Call me old-fashioned, but I like receiving a response when I communicate, unless I say, “No need to reply.” And, from a number of recent conversations, I know I’m not the only one with a preference for closing the communication loop. So, if I call you, please call me back. If I text you, […]
Read More →If you lead a company, a department or team, a career or a family, you need a strategic thought partner…someone who can help you dream possibilities, weigh opportunities, think through options, and confidently confront challenges. You need someone who sees you objectively, can help you identify ways to leverage your strengths and work on […]
Read More →One of my coaching clients complained about the quality of participation in his staff meetings. “What’s the meeting’s purpose,” I asked. “To update everyone on changes and other items that affect all the groups, and to problem solve,” he replied. “What’s the role of team members in the meeting,” I asked. He lifted his […]
Read More →BRGs, or Business Resource Groups, are also called affinity groups, Employee Resource Groups, or ERGs, and business network groups. If your company sponsors them, be an active participant…or start one. Here are just some of the benefits of being a member of BRGs: You get to interact with people who have a sense of shared […]
Read More →The earliest kind of BRGs, Business Resource Groups, were professional organizations like the American Bankers Association, the American Medical Association, the American Chemical Society, and so on. Members had shared cultural characteristics and experiences. They came together seeking support, to talk about their careers and lives – their ambitions and challenges – to keep […]
Read More →Business Resource Groups, or BRGs, add a valuable dimension to every organization’s diversity and inclusion initiative. These voluntary, company-sponsored, employee-led groups, supported by top leadership, are a great way for employees to get to know one another and be a source of support to those who share a common demographic and/or are interested in […]
Read More →Every day opportunity knocks. Do you recognize it, allow it in and leverage the moment? Or, do you let the door close and, later, walk away thinking, “I wish I had said or done something.” Take advantage of the breaks that come your way. Pry open those windows that are slightly ajar. For example, […]
Read More →If you’re trying to learn new information, or teach it to others, find what in it is familiar and build the teaching around those recognizable chunks. According to new research completed by Carnegie Mellon University psychologists, it’s actually easier to learn new facts if they also contain familiar components. In the workplace, these […]
Read More →I tweeted a quote @SpiritOfPurpose that got attention. People re-tweeted it and saved it as a favorite. The tweet was a Chinese proverb that says, “Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” I don’t know what about the quote appealed to those who retweeted it or tagged […]
Read More →More and more, it seems I’m hearing people talk about relationships that are vexing to impossible.. Whether workplace or personal, the relationship is described as being beyond repair. Tensions are present – sometimes steady and stable, but sometimes escalating. According to the storyteller, there is nothing that can be done to rectify the situation […]
Read More →Let’s say something pleasurable happens in your life – you make an outstanding presentation, offer up a good idea that gets noticed, take a great vacation, have an incredibly delicious meal, see a beautiful sunset. Are you able to hold on to the good feelings the experience generates? Or do your positive emotions […]
Read More →A study published in the June 29, 2015 issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, found that workplace impoliteness tends to spread – whether it’s dissing people in meetings or sending nasty emails or spreading rumors or making insensitive comments or engaging in shouting matches – and it negatively effects the environment and performance. […]
Read More →In the workplace and at home, small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Everyday behaviors that acknowledge others and demonstrate respect for them can change the climate, even in situations where hostility, incivility and rudeness seem to be the norm. You can break vicious negative cycles with simple, everyday behaviors like the […]
Read More →“Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstances.” I found that quote inside the wrapper of a miniature Dove Caramel & Milk Chocolate candy. I read it once, and then again, “Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstances.” So true. Think about it. Those who are happy show up that […]
Read More →I like listening to athletes’ stories about how they came to love and learn their sport, who they wanted to be like or compete against, their earliest dreams and visions for their career. Recently, I heard such an interview featuring Garbine Muguruza, professional tennis player and Serena Williams’ opponent in this year’s Wimbledon finals. […]
Read More →“At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best, every day?” That was the question the Gallup organization asked people who participated in their research. In 2001, they found that only about 20% of people responded, “Yes,” to doing, on a daily basis, what they were good at and enjoyed. […]
Read More →As I discuss in my book, LIES That Limit, personal beliefs – what we think and say is possible and probable – shape and define our daily lives. If you want to limit your sense of optimism, hope, inner peace, drain your energy and zest for life, focus on your problems, see what’s wrong, talk […]
Read More →Recently I was sent a link to Erika Anderson’s Forbes article about the “Most Important Reason People Fail In A New Job.” Her answer, in a nutshell: they don’t fit in to the established culture. For some, culture may feel too touchy feely or intangible. But no matter where you work, culture exists. Prescribed […]
Read More →No matter where you are in your career, networking is an important skill set to cultivate and put to use. For your next event, make a plan and be purposeful. Greet the folks you know, of course. And, keep moving. Set a goal to expand your network by meeting 4 to 5 new people […]
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