Showing posts in the category “Conflict”

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• September 6, 2021
  6Sep2021

  Managing Difficult Conversations as You Return to School, Work, and Post-Pandemic Life

  

  There seems to be a surfeit of difficult conversations these days that hover around topics like masks, vaccines, back to school policies, world affairs, and the federal budget, just to name of few. I'm not even sure the title of this post accurately reflects our current state, as the "pan"-demic, according to many scientists and medical professionals, is becoming "en"-demic. The Covid 19 virus, they say, will be with us for a while, endemic to our health landscape, though that is also up for debate.

  An article by Meg Griffiths about the kinds of questions we have as the pandemic changes and continues to affect our work, family and communities came across my screen recently. Please read on to learn Meg's background and thoughts about transforming anxiety-ridden conversations into opportunities to listen, learn, and clarify intention....

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• August 9, 2021
  9Aug2021

  The Mask as Metaphor

  

  I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently about masks. Of course I'm always alert to situations in which conflict might rear its head. I'm not looking for it, but I pay attention when it arises. I process, often in the moment, what I do, how I feel, and where I am on the centering continuum.

  I'm also curious about how people are managing this whole crazy pandemic world we're in, and what I might learn from talking with those who feel differently from me. Also, this was a friend I trust to be thoughtful, kind, and as curious as I am about these things. 

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• June 29, 2021
  29Jun2021

  The Non-Comeback Comeback After an Insult

  

  Tammy Lenski is a frequent guest on my blog. I read her posts consistently, and I love sharing them. This one gave me pause not only because the Zen koan was so poignant but also because I have been on the other side of Tammy's story. I've had moments of judgment about mask wearers. I've never spoken my judgment out loud, but I've been there. Most of the time I center myself and shift fairly quickly to wonder, curiosity, and non-judgment. And now, thanks to Tammy's story--to compassion.

  As always, I'm grateful to Tammy for sharing her wisdom, and for the insight I gained. Enjoy this great story and the Zen koan.....

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• June 15, 2021
  15Jun2021

  The Gift of Asking for Help

  

  Last week my car battery died unexpectedly. Early in the day, I went into my garage and put a CD into the car player to check if the CD still played (my home player wasn't working). It did (yay!) so I ejected the CD, came into the house and went on with my day. 

  About 2:30, I looked for my keys to get ready to drive to an appointment about 20 minutes away. My keys were not in their usual place. I got a sinking feeling. I went out to the garage, and there they were in the ignition (in "alt" position) where I'd left them five hours earlier. Oh no. No juice left in the battery. I'd drained it.

  My husband was unavailable and so was his car. I thought of a few friends I might call. Although this was an appointment I didn't want to miss, I hesitated. I don't find it easy to ask for this kind of help--for someone to drive me somewhere or (heaven forbid) loan me their car, especially on such short notice. It felt like a big favor, and I went back and forth for a while. Do I cancel? Reschedule? Call someone? ....

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• June 1, 2021
  1Jun2021

  Should I Say Something? When to Speak Up In a Group

  

  A reader wrote in recently with a difficult (and common) question about when to speak up in a group, and what to do if you speak and then wish you hadn't.

  From my reader:

  I read your message on how you can always center yourself--anytime and anywhere. However I have a hard time knowing when to speak up in a spiritual circle I belong to. We’re supposed to listen and not acknowledge our reactions, and this is hard for me. Sometimes I speak and have a tough time feeling okay afterward, as if I'd done something wrong. Any advice?

  I love this question because it hits on something that happens to me quite often, and I know from experience what it's like to wonder whether I should say something or stay quiet in a group setting....

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• May 18, 2021
  18May2021

  Thinking Again: Why "What We Don't Know" Is Important

  

  The more you think you know about something, the less you actually do. I just finished reading Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know, by organizational psychologist Adam Grant. 

  The book's full of great stories and interesting facts (and great cartoons!). For example, here's an exercise directly from the book:

  Compared to most people, how much do you think you know about each of the following topics--more, less, or the same?

  • Why English became the official language of the United States
  • Why women were burned at the stake in Salem
  • What job Walt Disney had before he drew Mickey Mouse
  • On which spaceflight humans first laid eyes on the Great Wall of China
  • Why eating candy affects how kids behave

  You might be surprised by the answers, I know I was...

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• May 4, 2021
  4May2021

  Questions About Common Conflicts

  

  In my workshops and coaching, I'm often asked about how to resolve specific conflicts. Especially now that workshops are happening on Zoom, the questions that appear in "Chat" will often have similar themes. Two themes that appear frequently are ones around new relationships and others around "letting go."

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• March 9, 2021
  9Mar2021

  Centering, Not Centered

  

  Beginning again and again is the actual practice, not a problem to be overcome.
  --Sharon Salzberg

  How centered are you right now? Are we ever completely centered, or centered for very long? The more I teach and practice centering myself in this life, the more I'm pretty sure (at least for me) that being centered is really a continual RE-centering process. 

  Life is always changing, as difficulty and conflict arise and recede. The continuous losing and coming back to center is natural. There may not be a Perfect Center. Only Centering, as we make continual little adjustments and return again and again--a natural and beautiful part of what it means to be human and to be aware.

  So let's practice....

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• January 12, 2021
  12Jan2021

  What is Leadership Presence? -- Finding Center, Accomplishing Purpose

  

  Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose...."

  ~ Martin Luther King, Jr., "Where Do We Go From Here"

  "Presence" can be tricky to define, and "leadership presence" trickier. Google searches produce thousands of pages and hundreds of thousands of hits. We're interested, it seems, in knowing what they mean, whether we have them, and how to acquire them.

  Fact is, we all have presence--a quality of mind, body and spirit that is us. Sometimes our presence is more evident to others, sometimes less. Sometimes we feel big, sometimes small and contracted.

  When we walk into a room, we influence the people and the environment in that room by our presence in it. It has changed because of us. And we are changed by our experience of what is already there.

  If you're aware of energy flow, you'll observe these changes when people enter and leave, and you'll gain awareness of how you can be more intentional about the influence you have.

  How would you describe your unique presence? ...

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• December 15, 2020
  15Dec2020

  When Opinions Contrast Sharply, Practice Scales

  

  As my friend and colleague, Tammy Lenski says on her website, she supports people and organizations to...

  "Disagree better. Buffer important personal and professional relationships from the negative effects of conflict without sacrificing creativity and collaboration."

  I've know Tammy a long time and admired her work and dedication to providing ways we can touch into our humanity in order to meet each other half way and get along better. As a professor, professional mediator and coach, Tammy practices what she teaches and always has something interesting to say in her writing. I'm happy to share a recent post today:

  When opinions contrast sharply, practice scales

  By Tammy Lenski

  Practicing scales is an elegantly simple way to get a read on where someone stands along a continuum. It’s useful for illuminating the nuances in disagreements that sound polarized.

  When arguments sound black and white, it’s time to find the gray....

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