When you have a few free moments during the work day, what do you do? Do you get fresh air? Text a friend? Close your eyes and meditate? Stretch your muscles? In the past we’ve posted about the Pomodoro Technique, which suggests that after each 25 minute stretch of focused work, you would be wellContinue reading “Napping… at Work? How a Short Siesta Can Boost Productivity”
Category Archives: Workspace
What is Ethical Fading?
Ethical fading is the social phenomenon in which people or organizations gradually lose sight of – or subconsciously self-deceive themselves out of seeing – their inherent moral framework, and take actions increasingly inconsistent with their values. Over the course of your career, how many times have you found yourself uncomfortable with the way your employersContinue reading “What is Ethical Fading?”
Which Squirrel Are You Today? Sharpening Your Axe with SEL
Which squirrel are you today? If that question means nothing to you, you probably haven’t seen the “squirrel scale” – a fun check-in tool used by some schools initially during the remote learning era of Covid. I was reminded of this tool recently while working with a group of middle and high school teachers, duringContinue reading “Which Squirrel Are You Today? Sharpening Your Axe with SEL”
Creating a ‘Closing Ceremony’ for Work
How often do you reach the end of a team or solo project that has taken hours, weeks, or even months, and move straight on to the next thing? If this is common for you, is this invigorating and motivating? For some of us, it is – we get momentum and forward motion that kick-startsContinue reading “Creating a ‘Closing Ceremony’ for Work”
Why Not Advertise to Yourself?
How many advertisements do you see every day? How many of those impact your behavior? Researchers disagree on the answers to these questions – some say the number is in the dozens, some say it’s in the hundreds, and some say it’s up to 10,000. The reasons for such a wide spread are based onContinue reading “Why Not Advertise to Yourself?”
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”
A Census Approach: Representation through Authenticity
Do you wear glasses? Are you on a health-related diet? Do you use a hearing aid? Take ADHD medication? Are you an addict in recovery, with a support system in place? Whether any of these specific situations are true for you or not, the majority of us use aids or accommodations of some kind toContinue reading “A Census Approach: Representation through Authenticity”
How to Make Your Bed at Work
You’ve probably heard axioms along the lines of “success starts with making your bed.” You may have even seen the popular 2014 University of Texas at Austin Commencement address by Naval Admiral William H. McRaven, which has inspired thousands of people to make their beds each morning when they first wake up. But whether or not youContinue reading “How to Make Your Bed at Work”
What Are the 5S Pillars?
A recent Building Bridges Leadership article on the concept of Kaizen touched on the five phases of 5S methodology, a system to reduce waste and optimize productivity through maintaining an orderly workplace. Implementation of this method “cleans up” and organizes the workplace basically in its existing configuration, and uses visual cues to achieve more consistentContinue reading “What Are the 5S Pillars?”
Kaizen and the Art of Talk Show Maintenance
Are you familiar with the term “kaizen”? We’ve mentioned it on this blog a few times over the years and 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,” butContinue reading “Kaizen and the Art of Talk Show Maintenance”
Building Bridges Leadership 