This week, we want to share with you an article that we read recently. The article is written by Carl Richards and appeared in the New York Times. We’ve pasted the article in the body of the post, but you can also click to read the article here. As you’ll see, the article is about empathy, and understanding that all of us will–at some time–be dealing with something that rocks us to our core. The trouble is that for most…
If you toss a group a grenade…they will run for cover. Starting a conversation with accusations or anger is akin to tossing a grenade into a room and expecting people to want to play “catch.” No matter how valuable your insight or how accurate your concern, the act of grenade tossing will result in people not hearing you because they’re consumed with ducking for cover. In talking to a client about his accusatory behavior he stated, “But the grenade isn’t…
As coaches, we get hired because people – despite the best of intentions – are struggling to change the things that are getting in the way of their success. Our goal is to help you recognize and overcome those habitual reactions that keep the changes you’re working toward from taking hold. The key behind the work that we do is helping people manage their reactivity, and to do that we teach them something we designed called, the Fundamental PAUSE. The…
Motivation of self and others is a hot topic in business precisely because it can be quite a challenge. What motivates people over the years has changed in large part because how we work has changed. Never in the history of time have so many people held jobs where their contribution is based on their knowledge or building on the knowledge of others. Motivated employees are more successful, more committed, more upbeat, and more engaged—as are kids and community members. …
One of our clients recently had a difficult month, and a dear friend and mentor sent him this writing by John McQuiston called “Each Day”. We want to share it with you, as it is an important reminder when life feels dark and heavy. Each Day At the beginning of each day, after we open our eyes to receive the light of that day, as we listen to the voices and sounds that surround us, we must resolve to treat each…
Last week, we wrote about Growing Your Wisdom built on the quote by Mark Twain: “Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would rather have talked.” At the end of that post, we promised that this week we would look at how to formulate questions that create meaningful conversations. Over the course of our careers we’ve discovered, time and again, that identifying a great question can dramatically change your interaction. We’ve talked about this…
“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would rather have talked.” ~ Mark Twain We love this quote from Mark Twain as it reminds us of a core truth – one must listen fully and completely to gain wisdom and perspective. And, wisdom and perspective can help us create more meaningful lives, more success in our service to others and to our work, and more impact in our worlds. Unfortunately, listening isn’t as natural…
Last week brought the stunning loss of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain by suicide. We know that there is pain in everyone’s life – some more visible than others. So we want to take a moment to remind you that, You matter in this world. Take a moment to think about your life and how you treat yourself as you go through your moments, days, weeks, and months. You matter because you are YOU. Your moments matter and…
We recently had a conversation with a client who was feeling disheartened at work. He had a long history with his organization and had, for many years, loved working there. He was invested in their mission and wanted to contribute to business success. He had a great deal of respect for the leadership team and felt valued and appreciated for his contributions. Then it all changed. About six months ago the organization hired a new COO (who our client reported…
In the United States of America, the last Monday in May is Memorial Day. While many of us consider Memorial Day the beginning of summer, it’s actually a Federal holiday to honor those who have died in military service. We hope you’ll take some time today to remember the men and women who have died in service of our country. These soldiers were also parents and children and sisters and brothers and friends and colleagues as well. We’re grateful to…