Did you get my message?
Dealing with people who don’t reply is frustrating. However, when we ask “did you get my message?” it turns out we have a trust issue. When we check in with people to ask if they saw our message, it’s a sign that (1) we don’t trust that they’re going to see it — or — (2) see it as quickly as […]
Before-we-start agreements
It can be so easy to jump in to a task, a job, or project. However, this can create issues. Have you ever been far along in a project and realize you wish you could go back to the beginning and set up an agreement that would allow you to work better? Maybe you’re wishing […]
Prevent frustration and overwork with these powerful, yet simple tools
When working on a team, have you ever been frustrated because a project did not turn out quite right? It turns out that our expectations are often linked to frustration and overwork. If we want to prevent frustration, we must consider how we communicate our personal expectations. Consider these questions: How often do you clearly […]
How the way we end conversations leads to confusion or action
Listen to this (2 minutes) Have you ever worked with someone who uses confusion and complexity and avoids action? Instead of figuring out the next thing to do, they talk about how big a problem is. Instead of taking action, they freeze. I had a work colleague that used this tactic. In critical conversations, […]
A cog in the system
Nobody wants to be a meaningless cog in the system. It is reliable. It gets the job done. It’s strong and doesn’t let its personality get in the way. It doesn’t complain. It supports the system and the bigger machine to produce a manufactured end result. And it works — over and over again. In […]
The power of checklists
This may sound obvious, but it turns out that checklists are a super powerful tool for getting things right. I heard a great interview about the power of checklists in hospitals on NPR — if you’re interested check it out here: For each of our areas, I want us to think about creating some great […]
