In any service industry, you’re going to have people be highly critical of your performance. It definitely doesn’t feel good and can be hard to swallow. Your response, however you act, is normal. Research shows our brains consider negative feedback as a threat and triggers our stress cycle which causes our flight or fight response…

The change failed. Congratulations! Yup, that’s great news. You now know one more way of how not to move forward which is just as important (if not more) as knowing how to move forward.  Let’s be honest…facing failure can be difficult and facing the failure of a change you championed is no exception. You may feel your resilience…

Groundhog Day, an American movie classic, is a story of Phil Connors (Bill Murray) where he is a weatherman covering the renowned Punxsutawney Phil groundhog coming out of his hole when he gets caught up in a time loop. Each day he awakes for another chance to get things right, make a difference, until he…

“Groundhog Day,” an American movie classic from 1993, is a story of television weatherman Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray) who gets caught in a time loop while covering the Punxsutawney Phil groundhog event. In the movie, Connors awakes to discover he is reliving the same day again and again. He only exits the loop…

One of the sureties of life is that change will happen: the seasons change, we grow older, other people come into and out of our lives. If change is that inevitable, how do we know when we ourselves need to change? How can change be more positive? How do we prepare for change? How do…

An organization, like an individual, goes through many changes whether or not those are anticipated and planned for. External changes in the economy, politics, regulations, technology, and competition can have huge impacts for a company. Organizational change may be prompted by leadership changes, new ideas, internal and external growth, or a myriad of other internal…

As an organization, a culture of change is essential. When everyone is looking for ways to grow, evolve technology, compete with an edge, it makes for an exciting work environment as well as a leading company in any industry. Pre-Assess The old adage, “a new broom sweeps clean,” refers to the tendency of leadership to…

Persuading others to change—rather than forcing, ordering, or directing them—is an essential skill in every partnership. Family units, workspace, volunteer boards, community planning (tribes) all have people sharing various ideas that not all can be implemented at the same time. This then sparks discussion, debate, and arguing from those not skilled in the art of…

Communicating change inside and outside your tribe (think group, unit, family, organization, volunteers) ensures that everyone is on the same page, understands the need for the change, and is committed to the change. When change affects only one person, a private discussion with that person is often sufficient; if it affects a team or tribe,…

People know when they are in need of a change. It’s unmistakable by the way they feel, think, act. The words “unstable,” “dangerous,” “breakdown,” “unplanned,” “stressful,” and “unexpected” occur over and over again whether the situation is professional, personal, or community-wide. Immediate Responses to Change Individuals may take actions that are counter-productive to solving the…