Move outside your comfort zone — at your own pace
“I’ve always believed that the pure of heart can go unharmed where others fear to tread.” That is a quote from a fellow blogger, Sara. She had written it months ago and at the time, I retyped it and taped it next to my monitor so I could read it often and be reminded of […]
Can a person ever change?
“Can I person ever change?” That question was posed several times, stated in a number of various ways, during meetings I held with one of my clients last week. The majority of these 30 managers are seasoned and they all care a lot about their employees. They also take their role very seriously. They have […]
You can be threatening or calming
“You have a choice: you can be threatening or calming.” That’s what I read in an enlightening book entitled “On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals,” by Turid Rugaas. The author talks about our relationships with dogs, and of course, I also see the applications between manager and employee. Rugaas talks about how frequently we, […]
Pestered into action
Have you ever been pestered enough that you do something that you wouldn’t ordinarily do? That just happened to me. For the last 30 minutes while trying to work, Grace has been whining and pawing at my chair. It’s almost an hour before her normal dinner time. And sometimes she does get antsy when it […]
Otter tales
I can easily find connections between what happens with Grace and what happens in everyday human interactions. But my awareness doesn’t always stop with her. Nature is a wonderland for learning efficient and effective communication skills. Grace and I went for a walk this past Sunday morning. I chose a trail we’ve been on before, […]
Didn’t I already tell you that?
Does the following statement sound familiar: “I have specifically told him not to do that, but yet he still does it. It drives me crazy.” Or this one: “I know we’ve talked about that. And she said she understood. Yet just this morning, I witnessed her doing the same thing without making the changes […]
The proverbial backbone: having the courage to speak and listen openly to others
Tomorrow morning Grace and I are leaving at the crack of dawn (she doesn’t know this yet) and drive two hours west. We’re going to meet a dog chiropractor and have her evaluate Grace. Mind you, I’m not even sure what, if anything is wrong with Grace. I know most people would (and will) think […]
A whale of a time
In recent posts, I’ve talked about Gitte and Jill, both who inspired me by the choices they made about how they are living their lives. The subject of career choices comes up frequently in conversations I have with my work but I didn’t really expect this to be one of the main themes that resonated […]
Take your chores to the river
There was one woman that we met on vacation that made a major impression on me. Her name is Gitte (pronounced Gee-ta), a Swedish woman who has lived in Alaska for the last 27 years. She was our guide during a 13-hour tour through Denali National Park. This particular tour took you into the park […]
Vacation time offers opportunity to see the big picture of “performance”
A couple of people have asked me how Grace did while we were away on vacation. We have often left Grace with two different families, good friends who are really great with Grace, but this time was a little different. First it was longer; this would be two weeks and while there was one time […]
