How to not lose my cool.

I don’t like to lose my cool. When life gets busy and demanding, I have been known to lose my cool. It is not something that I like to admit but I notice it in the tone of my voice, the tension in my jaw and the squinting of my eyes. I get in a reactive mode and in the moment, my concern is not about the feelings of others but rather that others pay attention to me. And although … Read More

One Photo – Multiple Reactions

One photo has the power to spark very different reactions in people. My reactions are based on my experiences and my beliefs, which are part of the family and the community in which I live.  One photo can feel fun and playful to one person and yet trigger very raw feelings of distress in another. My work is to resolve the perceptions that trigger my reactions so that I can have a higher level of compassion to support others to … Read More

Two Truths Call For Growth.

Growth comes from being able to resolve two conflicting truths. Our reactions provide us with information that allows us to resolve our frozen perceptions, also known as our beliefs. Redefining Truth. Our simple definition for ‘truth’ as a fact or reality is closed, exclusive and reactive. It does not support growth, inclusiveness or creativity. According to Merriam-Webster, an additional definition is a judgment or idea that is true or accepted as true.  Judgment is defined as a formal utterance of … Read More

Embrace Irrational.

Rational explanations do not explain current leadership behaviour. Given the pace of change and the increasing pressure of demands, leaders at all levels are responding based on their instinct, beliefs and attitudes. When pressure is applied to retrieve rational explanations, perceptions are triggered that ignite inflammatory thoughts and emotions. Policies are put in place to correct and prevent, yet policies rely on rational thought to be effective. We push down irrational responses and yet the increased pressure fuels a higher … Read More

How to improve productivity? Resolve reactions to the word ‘should’.

Why improve productivity? Improving productivity allows us to achieve more with less. We often think of this as achieving more financial benefit with less of the organization’s financial resources.  There is also great opportunity to achieve more with less of our personal resources. Think for a moment of the time and/or energy that goes in to building our personal resources: exercise; healthy eating; sleep and others. Significant energy expenditure in order to build our personal resources to have energy available … Read More

The Wonder of Wonder. Reframing our Beliefs with Logosynthesis.

We like to fix things, take action and solve problems. Logosynthesis can support us to challenge these beliefs. We live in a culture where we are praised for having passion to do things right and to do the right things. The more demanding the situation, the harder we work. It can take a great deal of energy and yet we continue to be faced with the same repetitive issues. What if we do nothing and avoid the situation. That doesn’t feel … Read More

Diversity and inclusion – Use tradition to connect.

Traditions are more than memories: Diversity and inclusion are important. We may know this yet we often feel discomfort. As I scrolled through Facebook this morning, I was greeted with a post of group photos from past Terry Fox Runs. This was a tradition in our office. Sometimes I went on my own, sometimes with my family. But we did this annual 5 km run, rain or shine. I was blessed with a boss who valued tradition and made time … Read More