Making a Difference, One Meeting at a Time
Most of us walk into meetings concerned about one person – ourselves. We’re not usually looking out for other participants or thinking about how to support the person leading the meeting. We sit where we feel most comfortable, and we speak when we feel like it or not...
Keeping kids connected to college-bound siblings
Dear Paul: My mother has asked me to call my younger sister regularly from college. Emily isn’t very talkative, so I’m wondering if you have any advice about how to make this work. Thanks, Stephan Dear Stephan, It’s wonderful that you are open to this request from...
Questions are powerful tools…what’s in your toolbox?
As supervisor and mangers, if you are interested in developing your employees, you may be struggling to shift from a telling or directing mode to a more listening and questioning mode. In addition, you’ve may have had employees come to you with ideas or decisions that...
Ask Paul: Is there a way to support different teams but not come off as trying to micromanage them?
Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. — Vince Lombardi, American coach Yes, absolutely. Not only can you do this, you should be doing this. To be effective, all teams need some...
It’s the invitation that matters
There are many reasons why it is useful to invite family, friends, and colleagues to participate with you in life. My favorite reasons begin with two that I express in a negative way for impact (I’ve been told many times to write in a positive way, but I don’t want these points to be missed!)
Ask Paul: What’s the Key to Broadening Participation in Meetings?
When it comes to garnering participation in meetings, there are many pieces to the puzzle, and several different ways to make them fit. Some pieces will work well to get you started, for example: Let participants know that you want their input. Be clear in the...
Are You Respectful in Your Interactions?
Kent Nerburn, in Letters to My Son, said that you need two things for a relationship to endure: You need the ability to laugh together. And you need to respect how your partner deals with the rest of the world. I love this because it reminds us to be lighter and more...
Go Ahead, Make Someone’s Day!
I am always honored when someone stops and takes the time to be interested in what matters to me—my work, my kids, my golf game. These conversations appear as a sharp contrast to other going-through-the-motions types of inquiries that lately seem to be the cultural...
Words to live by…
I have several phrases, quotes, and words that I try to live by. They remind me of how I want to interact with the world. Here are two of my favorites: There is no place to get to—This is a perspective about waiting in airports or traffic, and it just reminds me to...
My dad is scary!
When my daughter, Amy, was small, she was delightful in almost every way except that she didn’t always tell the truth. If you asked me to describe her, I probably would have said, “Well, she’s five and she is about this tall, has brown hair, is loads of fun, and is a...
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