Speak or Stay Silent?

When should we say something? It’s not always easy to know when to speak up for something you believe in, and when it might be wiser to remain silent.Recently I took my daughter “home” to visit the Egyptian side of her family, in Egypt.  Upwards...

One-Up, One-Down? Try One-With

When someone challenges, disagrees with you, or contradicts you, how do you respond?   Does your body tighten up or gear up? Do you withdraw, feel shame, get resentful, self-silence? Do you get more activated and engaged and begin to prove your point, bring in...

Stop Judging Your Judgments: Do This Instead

Whenever we are stuck and suffering, we get ensnared by victim mentality: an intricate collection of judgmental thinking patterns that we inherited from our cultures and upbringing.  This inner part of us gets caught up in complaining, fault-finding, gossiping...

Recovering from Reactivity

As I was walking across a parking lot, carrying a package to a UPS store, a man passed me walking towards his car. Moments later, he yelled back at me, with some hostility, “Hey lady, do you think you could park any closer to my car?” I...

Too Emotional? Are You Sure?

Working with some educational leaders recently on improving schools, someone remarked,”The problem is simply that many of our teachers are just too emotional.”  Years of experience hearing comments like this in schools and companies has taught me to...

This Daily Practice Works Wonders

I recently asked a team of leaders what I could work on to become even more effective in my work with them. You know what they told me?They wanted to be held more accountable to the insights they were developing.One person elaborated, saying she loved the...