Bring Me a Rock

My husband has a great analogy for ineffective communication that goes like this:  It’s like when they say, “Bring me a rock”. You go outside, grab the first rock you see, and take it to them. They say “No, we need a different rock.” You go back outside, grab a different rock, take it back, and they say “No, not that rock. It needs to be gray.” And so on and so forth until you eventually figure out that they wanted a big, round, gray rock from the bottom of the Mississippi River. How were you supposed to know that?

Are You (or Someone You Know) a Jerk at Work?

coworkers

We’re fortunate to work with hundreds of different people across industries and state lines, and we learn something new with each project and grow personally from every relationship. We also hear many, many stories about bad managers and toxic coworkers. Back in 2019, Lorrie addressed the question, Are Your Top Employees Also Your Most Toxic?.  When I’m facilitating leadership or communication training, I often get the feedback, “I think I can try these strategies and behaviors with most of my coworkers, but what do I do with someone who is just a jerk?”. If we have the opportunity for more

Negotiation Styles and Why They Matter

Later this month I’ll be speaking at HR Florida about Negotiation Skills. We are all negotiators, even if we don’t realize it. Think for a minute. What did you do when your alarm went off this morning? Did you immediately jump out of bed or did you negotiate with yourself to allow yourself just “five more minutes?” Did your kid talk you into letting them pack cookies in their school lunch instead of a granola bar? Or did you agree to allow Jim to take the lead on the new project at work because Ally has too much on her

What is Growth Mindset?

We are kicking off a new series on growth mindset this week! Do you believe intelligence and talents are fixed? If so, hopefully, we can change your mind with insights from our series on growth mindset.  Seeing opportunities instead of obstacles, in a nutshell, that’s what having a growth mindset means. Those with a growth mindset focus on development; they are always learning and growing.  Resource: http://strategicdiscipline.positioningsystems.com/blog-0/mindset-fixed-or-growth   Inc.com shared these 8 strategies to shift to a growth mindset: Create A New Compelling Belief View Failure in A Different Light Skyrocket Your Self-Awareness Become A Curious Learner Challenges Are Your

3 Keys to Meeting Thrive Needs

“Certain ideological systems and work environments are broken. In this age, it’s up to change makers, risk-takers, and the faithful to repair or start fresh when our contexts aren’t bearing fruit for the common good.”  Michaela O’Donnell, PhD in Make Work Matter It’s the end of January 2022 as I write this and I’ve already had about half a dozen requests since the beginning of the year to speak on or facilitate sessions related to workplace retention. Whether you want to frame it as the great resignation, the labor participation rate, COVID still wreaking havoc, or nobody wanting to work