What are some things you’re wondering about these days? What are some questions you’re finding yourself thinking about? During recent conversations in a non-profit I work with, we realized that when it comes to how the organization’s audience is thinking about the future of AI and work, we had more questions than answers. More toContinue reading “Ask Questions That Have No Right (or Wrong!) Answers”
Category Archives: Blind Spots
Showing More Humanity in the Era of AI
How many meetings have you had recently that touched on your organization’s use of AI? Does it come up once a day? More? For me, AI comes up in almost every work meeting – sometimes in small ways, but often as a more key area of focus. On perhaps a related note, I wonder ifContinue reading “Showing More Humanity in the Era of AI”
Could You be Your Workplace’s “Minister for Loneliness?”
Have you been through periods of life where you’ve felt isolated from the people around you? How about times where you’ve felt a strong sense of connection and belonging? How have the eras of your life felt different in that regard? If it’s a spectrum, where would you place this current era of your lifeContinue reading “Could You be Your Workplace’s “Minister for Loneliness?””
What is Kaizen? What are the 5S Pillars?
Are you familiar with the term “kaizen”? It comes up in my work with clients on an almost daily basis. It’s a Japanese word (in which it is written “改善”), with a literal translation of “good change,” or “change for better,” but it is most commonly used to mean continuous improvement, often – though notContinue reading “What is Kaizen? What are the 5S Pillars?”
Choosing When to be a Rental Car Agent, not a Driver
My end-of-Summer season is often filled with programs and workshops for teachers – team-building, experiential learning, goal-setting. It’s one of my favorite kinds of groups to work with. The mix of long-term teachers with new (or new-to-the-school) teachers brings an opportunity to discover together what kind of culture they want to create. Using experiential activitiesContinue reading “Choosing When to be a Rental Car Agent, not a Driver”
Poutine & the Cognitive Lift of Speaking a Second Language
How many languages do you recognize when you hear them spoken? How many do you understand? How many do you speak? Over the last few weeks I’ve had a particularly high volume of interactions with people (sometimes including myself) speaking a second language. Throughout my English-speaking work and home life, I’ve noticed anew just howContinue reading “Poutine & the Cognitive Lift of Speaking a Second Language”
Text, Voice, and Recalibrating Tone
Have you ever received a message from someone at work and interpreted the tone as angry, terse, or upset, leaving you stewing for days over what you did that caused that response, or how your reputation or relationships might be damaged as a result? On the flip side, have you ever sent a quick textContinue reading “Text, Voice, and Recalibrating Tone”
What is Cooperative Overlap? Isn’t It Just Interrupting?
Cooperative Overlap (or Collaborative Overlap) is a term coined by Georgetown University professor of linguistics and author Deborah Tannen, in which the listener starts talking along with the speaker, not to cut them off but rather to validate or show they’re engaged in what the other person is saying. In conversations, do you have aContinue reading “What is Cooperative Overlap? Isn’t It Just Interrupting?”
Is it Time to Sub in Your Rising Stars?
As we reach the final few matches of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, I’ve been reminded of the key role that rising stars can play on a team, both in football and in the workplace. I’ve found myself drawn back to this piece published first in 2023 during the FIFA Women’s World Cup. WhetherContinue reading “Is it Time to Sub in Your Rising Stars?”
What IKEA Furniture Does to Your Brain
If you’ve built a few pieces of IKEA furniture in your time, you might be amused by this quote from company founder Ingvar Kamprad, posted on their website: “IKEA[*] is not the work of one person alone. It is the result of many minds and many souls working together through many years of joy andContinue reading “What IKEA Furniture Does to Your Brain”
