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”
Category Archives: Perspectives
“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””
Bridging Differences through Food
Have you ever made a new friend over a meal? Perhaps at an event – like a wedding, a banquet, or party where you didn’t necessarily get to choose who you were sitting next to? Whether that interaction turned into an ongoing long-term friendship or not, did you find that over the course of eatingContinue reading “Bridging Differences through Food”
Planning for the Day After Election Day
At the time of writing, it’s just over a month until Election Day here in the US. Wherever you are in the world, I wonder how you feel when you think about that. Apprehensive? Hopeful? Determined? A lot of work goes into Election Day – from poll workers to candidates, from the town level toContinue reading “Planning for the Day After Election Day”
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”?”
Counteracting Unreliable Work Memories
Your memory is unreliable. Shocker, I know. Life is full, and increasingly full of sensory overwhelm, so it’s not surprising at all that we sometimes forget things – details, things we needed to do, or something somebody told us. Our brains can’t retain every piece of information, and we need to constantly filter out piecesContinue reading “Counteracting Unreliable Work Memories”
Workplace Empathy in the New Academic Year
How does the beginning of a new academic year affect you? Even if you don’t have children or work in academia yourself, it might be impacting you more than you realize. If you have children of any age – or if you are a student or an educator yourself – the beginning of a newContinue reading “Workplace Empathy in the New Academic Year”
Creating a Culture of “Tiny Teach” in Your Teams
Do you remember when you first learned to tie your shoelaces? Or how to use a gas pump? Or how to use breakout rooms in a videoconference? Each of these probably wasn’t something you learned on your own, but once someone showed you how to do it, you probably do it regularly without much thought.Continue reading “Creating a Culture of “Tiny Teach” in Your Teams”
Keep the Questions Coming: To Inception and Beyond
How do you feel when you have the leeway and support to pursue your own idea? What if the action steps you’re taking are the same, but the idea and the steps were dictated to you by your manager? If the action steps are the same, what feels so different about the two situations? IfContinue reading “Keep the Questions Coming: To Inception and Beyond”
“Ubuntu” and Connection Before Content
Last week, I led a team building program for a group of international students on the first full day of their summer together. I lead a hundred or more programs like this each year, but it quickly became apparent that this one was special. The group was joyful, engaged, and excited about the time theyContinue reading ““Ubuntu” and Connection Before Content”
Building Bridges Leadership 