Articles
Here are the recent articles I wrote for BRAINZ.
01
Time For A Pronoun Paradigm Shift?
During a recent large online meeting, I felt different. Like I didn’t get the memo saying: “Post pronouns beside your name.” If all those talented Harvard alumni women posted their pronouns, I should too, right? Me2.
02
Top Ways Leaders Manage Conflict And Reduce the Cortisol-Related Stress Response
Nested within a wide circle of family, colleagues, and community systems, we humans find health, happiness, and meaningful purpose. And sometimes, friction.
03
It's All In Your Head – Cultivating Conscious Conversations
When you inaccurately imagine something, “It’s all in your head.” It’s also what the car mechanic thinks when you complain about that clicking sound that mysteriously disappears during the inspection.
04
What’s Worse? Scary Movie 3 Or “We Have To Talk”?
Does “We Have to Talk” trigger an inner primal scream? Perhaps you’ve heard these ominous 4-words from...
- The Boss: “I have some feedback”
- A Partner: “It’s me, not you”
- Garage Mechanic: “It’s the transmission”
- Child's teacher: “About their behavior”
05
Do You Have A Clearing Disorder?
Have you ever complained about busy work distracting you from strategic, high-impact projects and planning? You’re not alone!
06
Silence Your Perfectionista
Did you get all that? If English is your native language, most likely you understood it, errors and all. Spelling mistakes did not materially impact the outcome.
Moments of truth
Can memories activate your leadership?
Like when my then little boys played nicely with the babysitter the day after Christmas.
All good. Until the doorbell rang.
When a State Police cruiser is in the driveway, it's not a good sign.
This big blue dude bursts in. All boots, buckles, badges, and a holster of gadgets.
He's looking for a child. I feel guilty, but not sure why.
We both look in the messy living room crammed with a tree, toys, boys, and their babysitter.
"Got a call from a child saying he's all alone," he growls.
I point out my boys were safe, with two adults!
To prove me wrong, he calls the station from my landline phone.
"Yup. A little boy, Kevin. Called the station from your phone."
Kevin? Kevin. I don't have a Kevin. Then it hit me.
I looked around the living room and saw the life-sized cardboard figure of Kevin from Home Alone.
Santa had left that for my son who was obsessed with the Home Alone movie.
My eyes turned to Jonathan, but a guilty conscience needs no accuser. He burst into tears.
That memory became playful taunting for many family gatherings.
Yet now, as I work on my next learning edge, I'm wondering...
What if I approached every interaction as a memory-making Moment Of Truth? A MOT.
How would that be different? What difference would it make if I engaged even small, garden-variety interactions as a MOT?
How would one-on-one meetings change?
At the dinner table? How I return home from work?
MOTs call for being more conscious in the moment.
So, what memories are you making?
For your beloved people? Are they deliberate or unconscious?
