Experts Blogs

Struggling to stay at your new job while living with chronic health conditions? Struggling to keep your job while living with a chronic health condition? Then you might want to tune into Downton Abbey, Season 1,  to see what to do and what to avoid. Maybe they should make a series called, "Working and Living With Chronic Health Problems"? I'm doubtful the scriptwriters set out with this intention but they really nailed it with Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Bates. Let's start with Bates.  While interviewing for his new job as Valet to Lord Grantham, he really wants the job.  Grantham, who seems eager to...

Hello readers! I’m sure many of you work with businesses and leaders across the globe, either in person or via online communication and social media outreach. Our world is rapidly becoming much smaller, and the customs and nuances from one country to the next can prove a little daunting at times. In 2010 Michelle Obama mistakenly shook hands with an Indonesian dignitary, unaware that this was improper cultural etiquette. The dignitary practiced a conservative orthodoxy that forbids physical contact between a man and woman who are not related. Most Indonesian Muslims are more moderate, so it was probably tough for Mrs....

Living with chronic illness means that life's challenges become ...  even more challenging. After more than 10 years of coaching people around living with illness and their work life, blogging on this topic,  and in my personal experience, I've decided that the basics matter.  The basics allow a person to thrive, not just survive. Here are my top 3 thriving skills:1.Communication 2.Communication 3.Communication Yup.  It's that important. Let's look at why. First, most illness symptoms are invisible.  No one knows  what your symptom/health is today/ in this moment--  unless you tell them.  And even where some of effects are visible,...

Living with chronic illness means that life's challenges become ...  even more challenging. After more than 10 years of coaching people around living with illness and their work life, blogging on this topic,  and in my personal experience, I've decided that the basics matter.  The basics allow a person to thrive, not just survive. Here are my top 3 thriving skills:1.Communication 2.Communication 3.Communication Yup.  It's that important. Let's look at why. First, most illness symptoms are invisible.  No one knows  what your symptom/health is today/ in this moment--  unless you tell them.  And even where some of effects are visible,...

WORDS ARE POWERFUL.They can help or hurt you. They can get you positive results or break your heart. Your words create your reality. Promises, requests, offers, or words to persuade  provoke action. You use words as a means to get people to do things for you, endear yourself to people, make people like you, buy your services, or countless other motivations. Hate speech can hurt you. Help speech can reshape your world and produce sustainable results. Your words, body language, and emotions form a triangle through which you interpret the world. By changing the interpretation of this triangle, you shift...

Many of us learn how to talk to each other without graduating to the next level of conversation that enables us to go after and achieve our greatest aspirations with each other. How easy it is to fall into discussions that reinforce what we don't want in our present situation, or focus on what we think is broken? Coming from lack or scarcity and focusing on fixing our problems rather than feeding our passions and what we want to achieve has become such a human habit that we don't even know we're doing it. It's as though that is the...

Are you and your partner worried about money in these uncertain times? During any economic crisis, couples have to face tough financial decisions. This can lead to an increase in stress and aggravate problems that already exist in your marriage. As you look back to when you first met, what attracted you to your partner - fierce independence, strong character, a decisive nature? Now, these very same qualities may be getting in the way of getting along. If you want to come to terms with your negative feelings, notice what has changed in your marriage. And try to see your...

Often actions with high emotion become patterns, which become rituals even without intention. Annually, it's good to think about the rituals that you would like to hardwire into your organization, and work on rituals that build community and empathy. Here are some ideas of how to think about rituals. I put this together with Barbara Biziou, one of the founding members of Creating WE Institute, who is a ritual guru. Healthy Rituals Healthy Rituals that build community bring individuals together, awaken the spirit of the team, and they enable individuals to build healthy thriving relationships. In this changing and uncertain...