Energies can invigorate us or zap us.  We generally only pay attention to our physical energy … “I am tired” , “I don’t have any energy” , “I just want to sleep”. According to Brian Tracy, there are two other kinds of energies:  emotional and mental.  These can (more…)

Our actions can have an unintended result on others.  What we perceive as teasing or playing around, another can see it as bullying or harassment.  Corporations have sexual harassment training.  It is quite interesting in that an employee can be reported for sexual harassment even if both ‘parties’ agree there (more…)

while en route to your neo-cortex can cause you all sorts of problems! Last week I was in San Antonio Texas giving a breakout session for NBAA’s Schedulers and Dispatcher’s Conference on getting results with no authority. A key point to know is how (more…)

This is an excerpt from an article on How Subliminal Advertising Works.  One paragraph states:

The more stressed-out we are by the financial crisis and other problems, the more we unconsciously adhere to familiar, comforting rituals.

Think how this affects your communications behavior.  When you begin experiencing friction with a colleague or a partner, and the friction continues.  You become irritated and frustrated, and the other person probably (more…)

I am an adjunct faculty member for Mountain State University in their School of Leadership and Professional Development Program. One of the books we use is Peter M Senge’s “The FIfth Discipline”

In a discussion, different views are presented and defended …. In dialogue, different views are presented as ameans toward discovering a new view.  In a discussion, decisions are made.  In a dialogue, complex issues are explored.  When a team must reach agreement and decisions must be taken, some discussion is needed.

In class, one of the students mentioned that when problems arise in (more…)

When we disagree with someone, our initial instinct is to push, push harder, push louder, push push PUSH!!!!  The more resistance we encounter, the more we push, the more we stand firm, the more we believe our viewpoint is the right viewpoint and should be the only viewpoint. (more…)

I like the show Criminal Minds. It’s a drama about FBI profilers. This particular episode dealt with the abduction of a six year old boy. The mother told the FBI agents that she did not want to know what happened to the previous boys that had been (more…)

There are many things that can cause someone’s defenses to skyrocket. Your emotional brain, specifically your amygdala, plays a huge role in how you remember your past.  We know the more emotional you felt an event, the more likely you are to relive it with that same level of emotion. (more…)

Did you watch Week 4 of The Celebrity Apprentice?  What a prime example of conflict in the workplace .. sometimes passive aggressive, sometimes downright attacking.  Claudia vs. Melissa … a classic re-enactment of how two very strong personalities clash.   And Donald’s response?  Certainly not to tolerate emotions infiltrating the workplace! If you have not seen this episode, in the US check Saturday evening …. it may be a repeat.  The teams are selling cell phones. Let me know what you think!

Earlier this month I was facilitating a “minimizing team conflict and increasing team cohesiveness by communicating” session.  I shared how our brain hijacks can impede our rational thought and our communication.  This also ties into trust … when trust between team members is nonexistent, communication becomes guarded and vague. Having (more…)