Professional Development Blog
“Openness to learning and growing is partially achieved in how you deliver feedback in the moment, and partially in what you have done the days, weeks, and months prior to that moment.”
— Kristen B. Hubler | One on One 101
Using Affirmation When Giving Feedback
How to Make Difficult Conversations a Little Less Difficult | Part 1
When most people think about affirmation or self-affirmation, they might imagine someone looking into the mirror telling themselves they are strong and brave. I personally flashback to a Friend's episode where Chandler was trying to quit smoking and fell asleep to tapes reciting you are a strong, confident woman, and you don't need cigarettes. Which of course led him to wrapping a towel around his head and being more sensitive and prone to tears. Gender stereotypes aside, this is not what I'm talking about when I speak of affirmation.
Speaking to Make an Impact
Most people are surprised - and don't believe me - when I tell them I still get nervous in front of a crowd. I have been leading discussion groups, facilitating learning, and speaking in front of large audiences for over 15 years now. But I still get nervous. I like to tell people this, because when we look at those that appear confident, calm, and collected, it is very easy to put them in a different category than ourselves: I'll never be like that. We assume they have some natural talent that we don't have and will never have. While it may be true that we are all born different, it is also true that the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in front of an audience can be broken down into a few simple tips (and a lot of practice).
You Can’t Be Extraordinary Without Giving Extra
In Malcolm Gladwell's bestseller, Outliers, he shares numerous stories of exceptional people - think geniuses, The Beatles, and the guy who wrote the code for most computer operating systems - all who were fortunate enough to have something that most people don't have: time.
It’s not their fault
Why Communication Strategy Matters
It is very easy to look at this classic cartoon and blame the workers that are too busy. At one glance it is easy to judge and think, how silly, if only they took a minute to try something new. While I understand that this is where our minds first go, I personally want to cut them some slack and I doubt I’m the only change practitioner to have those same feelings. I don't think it's their fault because we've all been there.
Focus Time That Actually Lets You Focus
Clearing the Path for Change | Part 4
It is ironic that the only way I have managed to start writing this article on Focus Time, was to wake up at 5am on a Saturday. It has been on my To Do list for weeks, but somehow there was always something more pressing that bumped it down the line. Does this sound familiar to you? Too often the environment that we are living and working in does not leave enough uninterrupted space to focus on the things that matter most.
The Path to Modern Collaboration
Clearing the Path for Change | Part 3
When I was just shy of 2-years- old, I drove our old red minivan into a tree. My mother had left the car running and parked in our neighbor’s driveway, just stepping out for a quick moment to drop something at their front door. In the minutes she was gone I successfully broke out of my car seat, climbed over three rows, put the car in drive, and drove down the hill into a tree. Before you try to cast blame on my mother, you should know that I also tried to jump off the dresser claiming I was super baby and therefore could obviously fly. So clearly no number of straps were holding this child down. At least not in 1987.
The Path to Effective Meetings
Clearing the Path for Change | Part 2
It is no secret that meetings have a bad rep. When you search for images of typical meetings it is not uncommon to see picture after picture of bored faces and heads on the table. If you want a real laugh, try searching for meeting memes.
The Path to Effective Change
Clearing the Path for Change | Part 1
Organizational Change Management has taught us that to make an influential change in work behavior we need a big initiative. What most don’t realize is that the big initiative more often than not comes down to changing small behaviors. That’s where real change happens; when individuals decide to stop doing something the way they’ve always done it and try it a new way. It is a task that seems simple but takes a lot of vision and planning because our natural instincts are to question change, resist it, and revert back to what we know and love.
Don’t Miss The Boat
A Reminder to Be Your Own Advocate
I stood there and watched as the boat pulled away with him on it. Don't worry, this isn't a story about the boy that got away, this is just the story of the boy that was on a boat that I should have been on. Well actually, that's not true, it wasn't my turn to be on it nor was it his. He should have been standing back and watching with me. But he wasn't. He was on the boat.
What Waiting Looks Like and Why It’s Worth It
I was reading Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go" yesterday and came to the chapter on "The Waiting Place." I couldn't help but laugh out loud because I feel I had been stuck in The Waiting Place for quite some time. This limbo between who I had been and who I was going to be. I still lived my life and lots of things were happening but I was still there. I was still there waiting to see if who I wanted to be was ever going to come to reality.