How is your day going? Are you following all the news about the fires in Los Angeles? Awful, right? How about where you are – How’s the weather? And how’s your family? You’ve probably heard (or asked) some version of these questions in the last week – either at the beginning of a meeting, orContinue reading “The Big Role of Small Talk”
Category Archives: Communication
Caga Tió and the Journey of Discovery
My family and I are hosting two exchange students from Barcelona for the next two weeks, and within hours of meeting them, we learned about Caga Tió, a cultural tradition that, as they explained it to us, brought laughter to their faces. “It sounds really weird, right?” they asked. We knew that a lot ofContinue reading “Caga Tió and the Journey of Discovery”
100 Ice-Breaker Questions for Any Group Gathering
Each week in our newsletter we include one question you can use as an ice-breaker for conversations with colleagues at the beginning of meetings, or to post on your internal workplace messaging platform. Some serious, some silly, but all with the intention of leading to further conversations and building community. With so many of usContinue reading “100 Ice-Breaker Questions for Any Group Gathering”
Applying the Banquet, Potluck, and Thanksgiving Models of Leadership
While the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US has a controversial history and our cultural retelling of it is inaccurate, the traditional Thanksgiving meal can help us reflect on how we lead others. So this week, as we approach the holiday, we’ll partake in our own annual tradition of revisiting the ideas of Banquet Leadership, Potluck Leadership, andContinue reading “Applying the Banquet, Potluck, and Thanksgiving Models of Leadership”
Building Bridges through Serious Play
Last Wednesday morning – about 90 minutes after the Presidential election results were announced – two colleagues and I opened an in-person two-day corporate retreat for 48 senior leaders from around the country and elsewhere in the world. If you read the last few Building Bridges Leadership articles, you won’t be surprised to know thatContinue reading “Building Bridges through Serious Play”
While We Wait…
At the time of writing, polls for the 2024 Presidential Election have not yet closed. And when you read this, it may still be days before a definitive result. We are, in the words of Dr. Seuss, in “The Waiting Place”: “Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come,or a plane toContinue reading “While We Wait…”
Embracing the “Liminal Space” of Election Day
Next Tuesday – Election Day here in the US – you might find yourself experiencing similar feelings to those seemingly-endless moments following the slow climb of a roller coaster: a mixture of terror, anxiety and guarded excitement as you wonder what’s going to happen next. And if this election follows the pattern set by the 2020 election,Continue reading “Embracing the “Liminal Space” of Election Day”
“It’s All in the Debrief”
What comes to mind when you hear the word “debrief”? If you watch spy movies, it might be James Bond passing by Miss Moneypenny on the way to let M know what transpired on his latest mission. In your work environment, it may look more like a closed-door meeting following the end of a projectContinue reading ““It’s All in the Debrief””
Who’s in Your “Human Library”?
How often have you felt judged by someone you barely know? How often have you formed an opinion of someone based on first impressions, only to be surprised later on as you spend more time with them and get to know them on a deeper level? Perhaps you’ve even had the experience of becoming goodContinue reading “Who’s in Your “Human Library”?”
Algebra and Articulating Decision-Making
How well do you remember middle school or high school math? Was it something you enjoyed? Something you found challenging? Maybe both? A surprising joy for me in recent weeks has been sitting with my eighth grade son as he works on algebra. His work is all done online, so sitting alongside him helps himContinue reading “Algebra and Articulating Decision-Making”
Building Bridges Leadership 