“Even if we know that people suffer, should businesses or work organizations care?”
This quote is from a new book I’m reading called Awakening Compassion at Work. It’s a provocative question the authors pose. [Read more…]
Guilt vs. Shame
In my work with self-compassion, we talk about guilt vs. shame. Both Brene’ Brown, research professor at the University of Houston, and Kristin Neff, Associate Professor of Human Development and Culture at the University of Texas, describe guilt and shame the same way.
- Guilt – “I feel bad about something I did.”
- Shame – “I am bad.”
Now, think about the difference between the two. We can repair guilt when we’ve done something bad, e.g., offended someone. We can apologize to that person, take responsibility for the hurt we caused, and ask for forgiveness. As Kristin Neff says, “Research shows that self-compassion allows us to experience our feelings of sadness, regret, and guilt without getting trapped by feelings of shame.” [Read more…]
Root cause, not root “who”
When a problem arises in your workplace, do you focus on who caused the problem or the process that led to the problem?
This was the question a client, an Executive Director of a senior care retirement community, raised with me this month. His leadership practice is “root cause, not root who.” When a department director brings a problem to his attention, he insists that they focus on the problem, not the person. He tells them, “Don’t tell me the person(s) involved. Let’s identify the process that led to the problem.”
He made this shift when he realized that too much attention was focused on the staff people involved, which side tracked addressing what was really important – the process.
Whites Need to Learn About White Fragility
The recent USA Today’s report, “Snapshots of Racism” which found a stunning number of student photos in blackface, KKK hoods and holding mock lynchings in college and university yearbooks during the 1970’s and 1980’s should alarm employers. An employer may be thinking, “So, what does this have to do with my business? We have diversity training and a fairly diverse workforce. Those photos were taken years ago. We don’t have anything like that in our work environment. Everyone gets along well and respects each other.”
Let’s be blunt. [Read more…]
How Do You Give Feedback?
I read an article called “The Feedback Fallacy” in this month’s Harvard Business Review. While reading I’m thinking, I already know what feedback is, how to give it, and its value. Why should I waste my time reading another article on feedback? And then I read this sentence,
“… it turns out that telling people what we think of their performance and how they can do better is not the best way to help them excel and, in fact, can hinder development.”
This is a MUST read article on feedback that will challenge the conventional notions we’ve all learned. Here is a taste of what you will learn.
[Read more…]
500th Anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci
This year marks the 500th year of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, one of the most brilliant critical and creative thinkers in human history.
I’ve been a follower of da Vinci for years, read several books about him, incorporated his critical thinking skills into my consulting work, and facilitated a number of workshops to teach people about his creative thinking techniques. One of my favorite da Vinci books is How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci – Seven Steps to Genius Every Day by Michael J. Gelb, a world-renowned innovator in fields of creative thinking, accelerated learning, and leadership development. [Read more…]
Do not overlook the importance of employee engagement
“You can spend a lot of money on internal branding, but if an employee has no friends at work, they are likely to feel disconnected from your culture anyway.”
(Employee Experience vs. Engagement: What’s the Difference? by Ryan Pendell, Gallup, 10/12/18)
(Employee Experience vs. Engagement: What’s the Difference? by Ryan Pendell, Gallup, 10/12/18)
The Practice of Being Emotionally Intelligent
“Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you.”
(Roger Ebert)
Compassion for Creation
(This is a continuing blog series from my attendance at the Boundless Compassion Retreat and Facilitator Training in June 2018. Some of the contents are quoted or adapted from Boundless Compassion – Creating a Way of Life by Joyce Rupp, 2018, with permission from Joyce Rupp, author).
“No matter what world we live in now, we are all people of the earth, connected to one another by our mutual humanity.”
(Angeles Arrien, The Four-Fold Way)
Compassion and the Marginalized
(This is a continuing blog series from my attendance at the Boundless Compassion Retreat and Facilitator Training in June 2018. Some of the contents are adapted from Boundless Compassion – Creating a Way of Life by Joyce Rupp, 2018, with permission from Joyce Rupp, author).
“When any person or group is regarded as lesser than others who consider themselves superior, marginalization occurs.”
(Boundless Compassion – Creating a Way of Life by Joyce Rupp, 2018)
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