Why conversations with Millennials hit a wall

Finally understand why your conversations with Millennials hit a wall. I often coach managers who struggle with their Gen Y / Millennial team members. This classic case of Relationship Friction seems a near-universal pain point in professional life right now. It’s exhausting for everyone. My diagnostic: my clients’s professional whys do not align with their […]

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How anger can build up your Relationship Wisdom

Harnessing your anger can help you access your Relationship Wisdom. Anger has a bad rap which I think is underserved. While there is obviously much truth to Ryan Holiday’s statement that there’s “no one stupider than an angry person”, I wish to tell you about how to use anger to combat Relationship Friction. In last […]

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Make up a reason to keep engaging even when Relationship Friction bites

Beat Relationship Friction by making up a reason not to disengage. When Relationship Friction bites, we typically have one of two immediate, instinctive reactions: Anger or withdrawal. This post focuses on withdrawal—that paralyzing feeling, the instinct to run, to disengage. For example, When an important conversation doesn’t work out, you freeze and become mute. When […]

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Taking responsibility is crucial to developing Relationship Wisdom

Relationship Wisdom in practice: taking appropriate responsibility is the hardest step. The other day, I was outlining a customised coaching journey for a prospective client burdened by Relationship Friction. She interrupted me: “It wasn’t my fault.” Until then, she had been smiling. Her body language had been relaxed and open. I saw her visibly tense. […]

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About underperformance

Why feedback conversations feel like Groundhog Day. How many times has this happened to you? You sit down with a team member whose work just isn’t meeting the mark. You want them to succeed. You might even really like them. But no matter how many times you talk… nothing changes. Now you’re living your Groundhog Day: the […]

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About your relationship with yourself

“The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself” – @Steve Maraboli, Speaker, Author, Athlete, Veteran Relationship friction also exists within. Develop your relationship wisdom by listening to another voice – the one of your authentic nature. It’s easy to point the finger at somebody else. At work, it’s bad bosses, […]

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About toxic relationships at work

“Don’t confuse “familiar” with “acceptable”. Toxic relationships can fool you like that.” – Steve Maraboli, Speaker, Author, Athlete, Veteran Wisdom and Courage: to know when to act differently, and then to do so. This may sound obvious, but is this how you actually respond when the situation demands it? Do you instead remain trapped in […]

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Managing Conflict

“I’d like to punch him in the face”, Donald Trump, 22 February 2016 about a protester at one of his rallies Conflict surrounds us: armed struggles abroad, political attacks at home. We also know conflict in our personal lives – at home, in the schoolyard and at work. Here is a video about coping with […]

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Why AI Can’t Coach

“The sad thing about artificial intelligence is that it lacks artifice and therefore intelligence.” —Jean Baudrillard Mark’s comment on last week’s post led me to reflect on the potential impact of AI on coaching. Can AI coach? AI can certainly be supportive in a number of ways. In particular, generative AI will be able to […]

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How Coaching Transforms Your Life

HR is once again reminding me about the leadership course I “absolutely must attend.” I have always had a lot of respect for these dedicated HR folks who consistently try to engage employees in development programs, training sessions, and team-building events. For many years, I was one of those employees, and I remember how conflicted […]

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Paying attention: the secret to happiness (part 1)

Hello and welcome to this month’s neuro blog! Let’s see: where have we got to? Three articles in, we know about the three parts of the human brain (read about the triune brain) and the dominance of the unconscious. We also know that one of the main purposes of the human brain is sense-making (read again about what the brain is for). […]

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How we really make decisions

Hello and welcome to this month’s neuro blog! Are you enjoying the summer? I’m writing from the South of France and it’s just blissful! Today, I’d like to address decision-making. Remember that I posited in an early post that “there is no thinking which is not emotional which in turn implies that our decisions and behaviours are […]

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