This week, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to myself and several other people—in different instances—get angry at someone else.You know the drill.All of us were using words like “manipulative,” “inconsiderate,” “taken advantage of,” “anal,” or “depressed,” to describe the people who had triggered the loop of accusations in our heads.It’s an automatic response, I …
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I was re-reading the beginning of one of my favorite books, Marshall Rosenberg’s Non-Violent Communication: A Language of Life, and was struck by his assertion that his method of communicating, which he calls Non-Violent Communication or NVC, is based on “language and communication skills that strengthen our ability to remain human even under trying conditions” …
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A recent shopping experience reminded me how important it is to earn the trust of your customers and how easy it is to lose it when you don’t pay attention to all three aspects of trust building.Here’s what happened.On Sunday, I was ecstatic.After a frustrating day shopping at virtually every appliance store in my hometown, …
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When I was growing up, my mother was the only woman in our neighborhood who worked. And I resented it. I wanted her to be like all the other mothers who stayed home. She didn’t have to work, my father made enough money to support us. She did it because she wanted to. In 1950’s …
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Many of the executives I work with are terrific problem solvers. They are inventive, determined, intelligent. It’s one of the main reasons they got to where they are today. But what happens when the problem isn’t one that can be solved—like death or a terminal illness? Or someone doesn’t want you to solve the problem …
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“You are a complete idiot.” “How could you make such a stupid mistake.” “You’re always messing up!” You probably wouldn’t say any of these things—at least out loud—to someone else, but how many times have you said them to yourself? This type of language is violent and damaging, yet when we do something that causes …
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Not long ago a client was struggling with a tough conversation she wanted to have with a new associate in her law firm. She believed he was having a difficult time hearing the clients’ concerns and it was impacting his ability to build relationships with them. She wanted to send him to a training program …
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