Listening is thought of as a soft skill. Perhaps the softest of the soft skills. What’s the big deal, we might ask? We listen every day. It’s something we learned to do as children and it comes naturally. And yet, I’m going to suggest that it is not that easy. It reminds me of the […]

I had the pleasure of meeting two delightful and inspiring women back in August as I was speaking on the topic of parenting to an audience of 300-400 people. The two of them, Becky Higgins and Becky Proudfit, started a weekly podcast in October 2018 entitled “Cultivate a Good Life.” I was impressed to learn […]

It’s so hard for me to believe that we’re beginning a new year. It seems like such a short time ago that we were transitioning into 2019 and yet here we are. What is even more incredible to me is that it’s not just a new year, we’re entering the 20th year of what still […]

If I’m really honest with myself I feel pretty dismayed by the political debate in the country (USA) today. We have become so polarized and tribal, even in our local communities, that we can’t carry on a sincere conversation without people being offended and either shutting down or attacking those with differing opinions. How unfortunate […]

As I’ve shared before, being grateful is more highly linked to mental health, happiness, and well-being than any other character trait. And the good news is that we can cultivate gratitude through deliberate practice. So, here are a few of my favorite quotes on gratitude: “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” Anonymous  “Be thankful […]

If you’ve been following me the last few weeks, you’re aware that I teach four phases in resolving conflict: Preparation, Invitation, Exploration, and Collaboration. Last week I wrote about the first two phases and this week I want to explain the last two phases. Phase III: Exploration-The Heart of Conflict Resolution Exploration is exploring the […]

We don’t like conflict and we’re often not good at handling it. As I’ve shared in recent blog posts, some people impose their will on others. Some withdraw and give in. And others avoid it altogether. The consequence is that sensitive issues go unresolved and our relationships suffer. In my last article, I talked about […]

My purpose is to make it easier for you to resolve conflict by teaching you a structure and process for initiating and navigating sensitive conversations successfully. I’m going to teach you a four-phase process for resolving conflict, which I’ve gleaned from my years of professional experience.

Conflict is inevitable. No surprise. The question is how we resolve it. The most emotionally intelligent people in any field or walk of life understand conflict management. They don’t deal with conflict by retreating or sweeping it under the rug, nor by coming off as aggressive and imposing their will on others. They learn to […]

In my last article, I introduced four styles of communication.  In this article, I want to do a deeper dive into the meaning of collaboration, the alternative to the patterns of dominating, accommodating, and avoiding. The truth is that all these styles have their place in day-to-day life. However, collaboration becomes crucial as the topic […]