“And in the naked light I saw / Ten thousand people, maybe more / People talking without speaking / People hearing without listening / People writing songs that voices never share / No one dared disturb the sound of silence” – The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon In turbulentContinue reading “The Sound of Silence: The Value of a Simple Pause”
Category Archives: Feedback
When You’re Stuck with Curmudgeons and Critics
Bring to mind a time when you were on a team or in a meeting with one or two people who – either literally or metaphorically – sat there with arms crossed, only speaking up to criticize the work of others. Perhaps you can recall many experiences like this. If so, I wonder how youContinue reading “When You’re Stuck with Curmudgeons and Critics”
“What Did You Do Last Week?”
What would you do if you received an email like those in the American federal government received a few days ago, asking for an account of your work accomplishments over the past week, accompanied separately by the threat of losing your job if you don’t respond? Needless to say, I hope this is a situationContinue reading ““What Did You Do Last Week?””
Cultivating Your Own Personal Advisory Board
Do you have your own personal advisory board? If this isn’t a term that’s familiar to you – or you instinctively understand the concept but find it odd – you’re certainly not alone. We all have a wide variety of people who provide input into our lives, including colleagues, family, friends, and acquaintances, but ourContinue reading “Cultivating Your Own Personal Advisory Board”
“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””
Watch Yourself on Video – It’s Painful! And Super Helpful!
How often do you hear a recording of your voice and think “That doesn’t sound like me!”? Or see a video of yourself and just cringe and turn it off? Perhaps you even remember the first time you heard your voice on a recording and realized that your voice sounds different to other people thanContinue reading “Watch Yourself on Video – It’s Painful! And Super Helpful!”
One Simple Action for Any Difficult Conversation
How many times have you sat with someone face-to-face – maybe with a desk between you – to have a challenging conversation? For many of us, the answer might be in the hundreds, or even thousands. Perhaps you’re someone who handles difficult conversations with ease – through a combination of training and real-life experience, youContinue reading “One Simple Action for Any Difficult Conversation”
What’s Your “Tiffany Problem”?
If you were reading a fantasy novel or watching a show set in medieval times, and a character was introduced as “Tiffany,” what would your reaction be? Chances are, it might stick out like a Starbucks cup in Game of Thrones. This is because Tiffany is thought of by most people as a modern-sounding nameContinue reading “What’s Your “Tiffany Problem”?”
What is Triple Loop Learning?
Image source: Alex Atkinson Recently, my high school junior son co-founded a robotics team at school. After months of budgeting, securing sponsorship, building, and late-night coding (my son’s specialty), the team took part in their first regional competition. What they demonstrated was a perfect example of kaizen. Their early matches went well for a rookieContinue reading “What is Triple Loop Learning?”
Solving for Now or Solving for the Future?
When was the last time someone shared a frustration with you? How did you respond? Were they looking for help/advice, or did they just want to be heard? Sometimes it can be hard to know without asking. Working with groups on practicing difficult conversations, many facilitators start with the skill of acknowledgement. Acknowledgement focuses onContinue reading “Solving for Now or Solving for the Future?”
Building Bridges Leadership 