"Close listening occurs when we're fully engaged in the here and now" -Steven Kottler I help people find ways to communicate their ideas and their strategic perspectives clearly, simply and persuasively. There are many important elements to making your points sound persuasive to another party, but … [Read more...] about What does it mean to listen?
Collaboration Versus Cooperation
Lately I have been thinking a lot about the difference between collaboration and cooperation as it pertains to teamwork and collective excellence.First of all, what is collaboration anyways?Wikipedia defines collaboration as occurring "when two or more people or organizations work together … [Read more...] about Collaboration Versus Cooperation
The Art of Letting Go and Having More Presence
How do we communicate our best self to the world around us?How can we go into a job interview, an audition or an important pitch with confidence that we are giving our best?Working in the field of communication has brought me to a better understanding of the ways that we interfere and … [Read more...] about The Art of Letting Go and Having More Presence
Get A New Story
You might not realize it, but you spend a lot of time broadcasting your story to the people in your life.Every time you share that you are "not good at" something like public speaking, taking risks or being courageous, you reinforce a narrative about yourself and how you want people to receive … [Read more...] about Get A New Story
Give ‘Em Space (To Earn Trust)
Have you ever been in a situation where you are trying to communicate something important to another person, only to find that the more you talk the less they understand?If your answer is "no" then I'm going to assume that you have never tried to teach a teenager how to drive a car.No matter how … [Read more...] about Give ‘Em Space (To Earn Trust)
Authenticity Takes Hard Work
While there is so much talk in business and culture about authenticity (like here, here and here), there is very little talk about what it takes to get it.It's a little like the advice you'd get as a kid before going to a big interview or asking someone out on a date: "Just be yourself."Yes! So … [Read more...] about Authenticity Takes Hard Work
You Have To Go Through It.
There is this moment in theater and in film where the actors and the director get together for the first time as a group to read through the script out loud. It is very chummy and people are often excited and a little nervous. They ask questions and talk and talk and read and talk. It's probably the … [Read more...] about You Have To Go Through It.
Captain Kirk vs Mr. Spock
In recognition of Leonard Nimoy's recent passing, I decided to write on an underlying tension I see in most companies that require technical experience, that is the tension between our Spocks and our Kirks.The Captain Kirk world is made up of swashbuckling heroes of capitalism who defy the odds … [Read more...] about Captain Kirk vs Mr. Spock
The “Right Kind” of Arrogance
I was meeting with a client a few weeks ago who told me that he looks for entrepreneurs with the "right kind of arrogance," which I found to be a fascinating way to explain something that is very confusing to most of us.What does it mean to have the "right" kind and what exactly is the … [Read more...] about The “Right Kind” of Arrogance