Tactful disagreement
Dale Carnegie, in his classic, How to Win Friends & Influence People, cites an article that offers some helpful suggestions for how to handle disagreements…
In person
As a leader, I've found that sensitive conversations go about one thousand percent better in person. It's important for people to be able to see…
Leaders are writers
It's amazing how often you hear leaders advise leaders to write. To carve out time, to make it a habit--to keep trying to improve. Why?…
Winsome debate
When I was a wrestler, we were required to shake hands with our opponents before and after every match. I'm praying for a hearty remnant…
No Yeahbuts
Some dear friends invited our whole family for tea. It was great fun--all kinds of exotic things to try that told of faraway places. We…
Pain scale
"How much does it hurt on a scale from 0-10 (with 0 being no pain, and 10 being your arm's off)?" In medicine we assess…
How to reconcile
Relationships require forgiveness if they are going to flourish. Inevitably we are going to wrong one another, and we need skill to know how to…
Own it.
Children have a sixth sense for hypocrisy. Adults do too. There's Hypocrisy (with a capital H) that rightly ruins credibility. This is avoided by a…
Tap the brakes
Instant communication isn't always a gift. How many times have we regretted responding too swiftly with words that were overstated because of the heat of…
Inside jokes
If you have siblings, you probably have inside jokes--some of them may go all the way back to your childhood. They may involve super-obscure references…