You know what they say about old dogs and new tricks, and I certainly qualify as the former. The latter, however, is still possible as evidenced by a recent change of behavior which can help create safer spaces for everyone by using to a prudent and simple procedure: begin all gatherings with what's called a “safety meeting”. And I'm on a new mission to spread the “safety meeting” word. Since it's always prudent to define our terms, “gathering” and “meeting” can mean “where two … [Read more...] about Safer Spaces
Publications
A collection of articles from doc's award-winning column, Heat & Humanity, published monthly in the Beaumont Business Journal.
It Takes Two To Tangle
Conflict and confrontation are just facts of life. To one degree or another we all face situations where two wills clash or the needs of one are in conflict with the needs of another. Some of us are more comfortable dealing with conflict than others, and while some of us avoid it at all costs, others seem to relish it and, in a way, go looking for it. Interpersonal conflict is becoming even more common as our society grows not only in population but becomes more culturally diverse. What's … [Read more...] about It Takes Two To Tangle
Reservations At The Last Resort
Violence: workplace violence, road rage violence, domestic violence, violence between neighbors, violence among strangers, family violence, racial violence, political violence, religious violence, ethnic violence, urban violence, sectarian violence, tribal violence, senseless violence, random violence, strategic violence, righteous violence. And as the song says, “the beat goes on” literally and figuratively. The amalgamation of heat and humanity inevitably yields violence unless we … [Read more...] about Reservations At The Last Resort
ERSA
It's a time honored concept that to change one's behavior and acquire a new habit one must fundamentally do two things: make the effort and repeat the behavior – do it and do it again until one doesn't have to think about doing it or struggle to do it as it becomes a part of who we are and not just what we try to do. What motivates us to acquire a new habit is a subject for further consideration, but whether we have consciously decided to change our behavior or, perhaps, we've acquired a habit … [Read more...] about ERSA
Grinding Out A Daily Win
A recent opportunity to deliver a presentation to a Texas state group of elected officials and their deputies confirmed what I've read and experienced for many years, reinforcing the indisputable fact that many people on the front lines of customer service interaction don't receive effective training in how to deal with difficult people (with “effective” being the key word here). That's not only a sad fact but the consequences are negative across the board resulting in disengaged workers, lost … [Read more...] about Grinding Out A Daily Win
The No-Lose Method
Many people aspire to be “the leader” only to find it's lonely at the top. For some it's their first experience with having to consider what others need instead of mainly focusing on one's own individual needs. And if that doesn't present a daunting challenge, just wait until a new leader realizes the needs of both must be met to create a trusting, motivated team. Remember, the hallmark of an effective leader is enabling other team members to solve their own problems while they mature and … [Read more...] about The No-Lose Method
