I introduced the topic of deep listening in my last blog post. I think of listening as suspending judgment and being fully present with another person to understand his or her experience or point of view. Listening well is one of the best gifts we can give another person. Not only does deep listening strengthen […]

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 […]

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 you’re aware, I’ve been writing about resolving conflict for the last few weeks. My focus on the topic began during two phone calls with the staff of Udemy, the learning platform on which I have published my courses. They said, during one of these calls, that the biggest need in soft-skills training was for […]

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 are good at resolving conflict. They don’t deal with it by retreating or sweeping it under the rug, nor by coming off as aggressive and imposing their will on others. They […]

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 […]

What do you do when… You’re not able to sleep due to a neighbor’s late-night music or barking dog? Your boss wants you to work overtime this weekend when you’ve planned a big outing with your family? You and your partner have totally different opinions when it comes to a major life decision? This is […]

Self-responsibility is the key to a happy and successful life. Consider that there are two types of problems– “out there” and “in here.” By “out there” I’m talking about events and circumstances. Your neighbor’s dog does its business in front of your house every morning. Your mother-in-law criticizes how you’re raising your kids. A co-worker […]