April 18, 2013
Everyone gets caught in a whirlwind of contradictory feelings and wonders – how can so many potent emotions sit side by side within me? It’s easy to get lost in anxiety, sadness or even despair, when times are hard. It’s not uncommon to feel a sense of vulnerability because of the limitations of our power to effect external change. The Popular TED […]
March 28, 2013
“Our language is holographic. Each word contains not only the wide context of paragraph and sentence but the deeper context of our lives. When you interact with someone, their initial words carry the entire hologram of their consciousness.” William Isaacs, Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together
February 28, 2013
Somewhere along the line I absorbed the nearly universal belief that hard work is a defining value of a person’s worth. Intellectually, I don’t buy into this meme – but emotionally I can feel its pull and weight for every hour “wasted” on “non-productive” work. Although the nature of work has changed dramatically since I was a child, the thinking […]
February 13, 2013
Note: In my last post, I Want to Know More About You, I referenced research that looked at the ways in which emotional repression is built into our social landscape, especially affecting men. So I decided to reprise the article below because the more I experience, the more emotional suppression I see in every type of workplace. It’s woven into […]
June 21, 2012
“There is no data showing that anxious, fearful employees are more creative and productive, but there is data proving that employees in a threatening environment are less engaged, less loyal and for the most part miserable.” Mary Prefontane This post is inspired by Bill Maher. Yes, that’s right, Bill Maher, the irreverent, super-sharp, potty mouthed host of […]
June 14, 2012
“For me, my role is about unleashing what people already have inside them that are maybe suppressed in most work environment.” Tony Hseih, former Zappos CEO Is the “modern” workplace designed for people? Are the systems created for work designed to maximize productivity and profit or human well-being? Who factors in the real cost of human labor when analyzing […]
May 31, 2012
“Work is no longer a place; it’s a state of mind. It’s become less about when I turn off the office lights and more about when I turn off (at least mentally) the inbox.” Christa Carone, Chief Marketing Officer, Xerox Is the private life dead? When you hired me, did you buy my evenings, weekends and holidays? Now that you can […]
April 14, 2011
“Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirits.” Studs Terkel A few of you might be reacting to the title thinking, “Hey, my work is my life,” or “My job is the most fulfilling thing in my life.” But that’s not what this article is about. Because life isn’t work. Yes, it can be a Big […]
November 18, 2010
“The most important thing in life is to decide what’s most important” Ken Blanchard People don’t seem to write or talk much about values anymore, do they? Yes, the word value is often used – creating value, adding value, etc., but what does it really mean to the user? While most organizations still use values words in their mission […]