The Curious Coach 1: What are You Curious About Right Now?

One of the reasons I coach is that I have always been fascinated with human behavior. Always. Even as a very small child. My parents, when they were newly married, owned a very modest row of ground level apartments. In the summertime, everyone’s back doors were wide open to the breeze, as well as the […]

Who’s Got Time to Listen??? You Do!

Sam sits in front of me shaking his head. His shoulders are hunched in frustration. His mouth is a tight line, his eyes are closed. “I just can’t accept this. I’m sorry, but there’s no way. The math just doesn’t work.” Sam is a third year medical student in a large teaching hospital. He is […]

Empathy – Your Time-Saving Superpower!

“Brent” is not happy.  As a newly hired emergency room physician within a nationally recognized healthcare system, he has been “volun-told” to show up to a four day onsite training on “Patient-Provider Communications”, which translates in his assumption as a Colossal Waste of Time. “At least the location is decent.” he thinks as he turns […]

Don’t Rip the HeART out of Education!

Stinky. Sullen. Bad Attitude. A Problem. Yeah we were pretty sure we had Joe pegged. How wrong we were… Years ago I was teaching in a summer Shakespeare program for teenagers.  Every once and awhile, we would get a kid like Joe. He radiated defiance from his tattered running shoes to his sullen stare. Joe […]

Stop Drop & Roll into Deeper Listening

A few years ago, when my daughter was in her gap year between high school and college, she and I went out to lunch. She had been accepted into the college she very much wanted to attend, and they had signed off on her delayed start. So as far as I knew, when I sat […]

Heads Up Doc! Listening with Empathy Can Save Lives…

I am lying on a hospital bed. I’ve just woken up from the anesthesia and I’m concerned that I can’t move my left arm or leg. The nurse told me that the doctor will be in soon to speak with me. She couldn’t give me any information about why my movement is restricted, and I’m […]

Listening Lessons Learned

We all know we need to be good listeners, but what does that really mean? Here’s some new ways in to our most under-rated superpower –  Along with a few tips to super-charge your listening! Start here with Blake’s Story Blake turns off the pavement onto a dirt road leading toward dense woods. He takes […]

Mindful Listening: Cultivate Presence and Build Deeper Connections

Have you ever met an extraordinary listener? People who seem to be able to tune in to their clients, partners, co-workers, kids and get the conversation off the surface immediately.  Surprising stories are uncovered, vital information is offered, and trust is built almost from the first minutes of the conversation. How do these listeners do […]

Curiosity: Asking Questions Could be the Answer

When was the last time you felt truly curious about something? What did you do about it? Did you:  Ask that question, research for factoids right then and there?  Record it on your smartphone, or write it out intending to get back to it? (And did you?) Or did you tuck it away in the […]

Toxic Positivity: The True Christmas Grinch

You walk into your workplace on a deceptively “normal” day, if there is such a thing anymore. The floor is sparsely populated now, various people on vacation. All is calm, all the fluorescent lights are bright. Suddenly Liz opens the door to her office, closes it with something resembling a slam, and strides down the […]