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The words of this Japanese proverb have inspired and guided me for many years as I have recovered from two brain injuries in 1999. They have helped me move forward when I felt that I couldn’t go on and have encouraged me to keep trying when I thought I couldn’t succeed. I’ve wanted to put […]

I looked around the conference table at the tense faces, clenched fists and raised shoulders and said, “Breathe, just breathe.” I was consulting with a group that had a long history of mistrust and miscommunication between the team members and management. As we tried to work through the differences, the tension in the room grew. Rather than using […]

In late December, I reflected on the year’s consulting projects and clients. One project stood out because it exceeded the goals the client and I had set. It also surpassed our expectations of what was possible with the trainings we undertook. I wondered—what qualities move a consulting project from good to great? Listen to your […]

Clients often hesitate to hire a consultant. They imagine months of work and unanticipated costs. Yet, sometimes one meeting, a facilitated conversation, can help a group by: Identifying behaviors that are getting in the way Discussing ways they can behave more effectively Coming up with a plan to hold themselves accountable Brief interventions are most successful […]

Stan, the manager of a team of five, asked for my help. Two team members refused to speak to each other—they hadn’t spoken directly for three years, even though their jobs depended on their cooperation. He was baffled. The previous manager had been very popular with the entire team but had let the problem fester. Stan […]