See people with fresh eyes

See people with fresh eyes

I like to think I do an average job of being mindful. Yet the HBR article, See Colleagues as They Are, Not as They Were, brought me up short. I’m not a grudge-holder by nature, yet I know that I do bring past experiences with people to bear on today’s...
Networking for shy people

Networking for shy people

I’m naturally shy. (This will come as a shock to some of you.) When I meet a new person, I can get a bit tongue-tied. I may even come off as standoffish. My youngest even comments that I’m not super friendly with the people at Taco Bell. (Really? I am...
Bugs and wishes

Bugs and wishes

My colleague, Karen Weideman, recounted a story of a situation her 89-year old mother, Betty, faces on a regular basis. Betty is a great pianist and plays regularly at her retirement facility. Her mature audience loves that she can play anything they can call out...
Are you listening?

Are you listening?

Today’s guest blogger is Nancy Owsianowski, friend of Humanergy and founder of RoundTable Consulting in South Bend, Indiana.    “Leaders {who} refuse to listen will quickly be surrounded by people with nothing to say.” This quote by Andy Stanley...
Email best practices after 20 years

Email best practices after 20 years

I’m old enough to remember life without email. Believe it or not, when you needed to know something, you picked up the phone. And if they weren’t there, you left a message, often with a real live person. It wasn’t uncommon to skip the phone and...
Do you get and receive guidance?

Do you get and receive guidance?

Kim Scott is a veteran of a long career in technology, including a long stint at Google. In a presentation at First Round’s CEO roundtable, she describes how she learned to give and get feedback at Google. In order to foster an environment of growth, the culture...