July 1, 2016
In nearly all of the work we do, we take at least 5 minutes to introduce a simple breathing practice. While people sometimes initially react with uncomfortable chuckles, most people want more! It seems remarkable when we say it – but are you remembering to breathe? That is what this simple article is all about.
June 17, 2016
Ask me what is most important. And I will reply, It is people, It is people, It is people Maori Proverb You read a lot these days about the need for new workplace models. There is a growing consensus that decades of rigid, bottom line, often authoritarian management structures kill the culture necessary for real collaborative relationships. The old models […]
June 11, 2016
How we respond to others is largely a function of habit. Many small, repetitive, automatic responses that grow over a long period of time form habits. Mostly, these reactions are outside of our conscious awareness. They’re built on foundations formed by our beliefs, and in most cases, they stayed fixed, usually reinforcing old beliefs and naturally – old habits. Charles […]
April 21, 2016
“Other things may change us, but we start and end with family.” Anthony Brandt We all bring it – we all have it. It is a matter of degree – and awareness. In every interaction we have at work, we bring the dynamics of our families, culture, generation and gender with us. The first problem is that most of us […]
February 4, 2016
Trust is a fragile and complex thing. It’s a dynamic process made up of our thoughts, beliefs, values, feelings and most important – our actions. It is often indefinable, highly personal and mostly an unconscious process that governs the why and how of what we do. Although trust, at all levels, appears to be at an all time low – […]
January 11, 2016
Do you know about the marshmallow test? No, it’s not about seeing how many marshmallows you can toast and eat by the fire. It’s the classic Marshmallow Study conducted in 1968 at Stanford University by clinical psychologist Walter Mischel that became one of the longest running experiments in psychology. The initial study examined 600 children to see how they would […]
December 2, 2015
“But words are things, and a small drop of ink, Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~George Gordon Byron Words are powerful. What we say reflects what we think. Our spoken word originates in our thought. Typically, most people don’t think consciously. Long established habits that have formed hard wired neural networks […]
November 17, 2015
We’re watching it happen before our very eyes. Much of the world is experiencing profound collective introspection. For some it’s a slow bubbling – for others; a fast boil. Our beliefs, practices, institutions and our leaders – especially our leaders, are undergoing intense scrutiny and criticism. The effects are often disorienting and feel chaotic. Ever since 1939, when psychologist Kurt […]
October 31, 2015
I’ve often written about the slow death of the authoritarian leader – envisioning the demise of command and control thinking as the prevailing force in organizational life. It is slow going – isn’t it? At least it feels that way to me – even as an “observer” in my role as a consultant. The power issue hangs over us. Although […]