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 […]

Your Daily Routines + Awareness = Meaning

What’s your morning routine?  Have you thought about it? Do you know why you take the same actions consistently to greet the day? Are you aware of how you feel when, for any reason, you can’t complete them? My summer morning routine involves the following: start the kettle boiling, wipe off the chairs on the […]

3 Ways to Use Visuals in Online Meetings

After my third zoom interaction today, I’m experiencing an all too familiar feeling… I’m “zoomed”. I’ll go out for a walk, or grab yet another coffee, or maybe just eat something I shouldn’t, but that won’t help much. Zoom and online platforms like it are convenient and all, but I’m not alone in aching for […]

Have Fun w/Your Inner Critic. No Really!

Almost done with January – and how are those New Year’s resolutions holding up? Are you on track for losing a few pandemic pounds? Keeping your “no wine” in January commitment? How about reducing those hours spent in front of Netflix? Nope? Me either. The good news however, is that we can stop beating ourselves […]

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 […]

“Yes-And” Gets Your Team Innovating!

See if this sounds familiar You are managing a working team in the now ubiquitous hybrid scenario. Your group has been tasked with generating some new ideas for the next phase of an ongoing project.  While the person you report to is expecting “great ideas”, you can see some roadblocks. Among them: Time: Can the […]

Imposter Syndrome Grows Up

  Alice’s Dilemma Alice enters the spacious, dimly lit hotel ballroom. She sees several conference attendees already gathered at the tables up front. On the stage a long table is set with the usual water pitchers, cups, and placards indicating who should sit where. She finds the placard with her name on it. She’ll be […]