Seven months ago I lost my spouse of 52 years. My grieving process has been complicated by the isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The isolation has deprived me of the opportunity to talk face-to-face with people and hug friends which I dearly miss. However, it has not deprived me of the ability to manage my behavior and emotions with …
I am concerned about the escalating lack of civility that surrounds us in our everyday life. Incivility at work has many different forms. We see everything from the gossiping coworker to the intimidating bully. Then there are the supervisors who take credit for your work but never give credit and the managers who are dismissive and rude and will not …
If you were to ask a group of people if money can buy you happiness, I expect about half of them would say, “Of course it can” (while speculating on what kind of idiot asks a question with such an obvious answer). I think the other half would be just as convinced in the opposite direction: “Of course it can’t!” …
When conflict becomes mean spirited and starts including personal attacks, group morale can quickly move to the dark side, the bane of every manager. Recently I was asked to help two employees resolve a conflict that was having a negative impact on everyone around them. Routine tasks were still getting done but the tension in the group cast a long …
How many times have we said, “I am going to do things differently this holiday season” and the results remain the same? We fail because the tendency is to try to do more and to do it better. The secret to a less stressful holiday is to not work harder but to be sure there is more “down time” for …
In the midst of the Olympic competition I received a request to help a company create a more respectful workplace. As is usually the case when we get a request to address incivility in the workplace, there is unacceptable behavior that demands attention. Often it is the “straw that broke the camel’s back”. Typically the problem has been building for …
