Blog
2 Words To Foster Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential ingredients for creating a high-performing culture of connection, belonging, and trust. But ... very tangibly ... how do we do it? To answer that, I'm bringing in the one and only, Meg Bolger, co-founder of the Safe Zone...
How To “Manage Up”?
Vacuums come with a user guide, but why don't people? “How do I manage up?” is one of the most frequent questions I hear from people. In other words, "how can I lead when I'm not in a position of leadership?" Everyone knows that they need to “manage up”, but very few...
Connection Toolkit Coaching Clinic
I just facilitated an informal "Coaching Clinic" session with 10 amazing leaders based in Taiwan. After the session, I asked the group how they felt about handing off the recording of our conversation to my editing team to make a video with some of the golden nuggets....
How To Give And Receive Feedback At Work
Studies have shown that people prefer hearing corrective criticism over straight positive criticism. However, they’ve also shown that we don’t like giving feedback at all, whether constructive or positive. And because of that, we put it off. We have a tendency to only...
How To Empower Employees To Improve Performance
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” This quote from Aristotle was the inspiration for the title of a project Google embarked on a few years ago to answer the question – “What makes a team effective?” And while Google was specifically looking at their own...
How To Connect With Anyone In 60 Seconds
Time is precious. And limited. So how can we connect quickly—but meaningfully—with our coworkers, clients, students, friends, or even family? Promising this in 60 seconds sounds like a bold claim. But it's true. You'll love the story about "the Yankees guy" I share in...
Co-Facilitation Best Practices
“Collaboration” is a lovely buzzword. In reality though, co-leading, co-creating, co-habitating, or co-llaborating can be messy. (Not share exactly what “llaborating” even is actually 🤣) Mind-reading and mutual agreement on everything aren’t generally options....
How to Make Virtual Engagement Easy 📘 Launch
New Book Launches Today! See the inside and watch my (raw and a bit vulnerable) video preview of the book right here or... If you're a leader, facilitator, or educator looking for a practical how-to guide to help you: Finally run a virtual meeting that encourages...
How To Keep Yourself Motivated To Achieve Your Goals
I believe the 3 personal stories I share in this video offer a transformative perspective shift in how to keep yourself motivated to achieve your goals. Got a few minutes for that? For those of you who read my note last week, you know that Will Wise, my co-founder,...
How To Never Run Out Of Things To Say
Ever been in a conversation that just…. sort of….. trails….. away….. You and the other person (or people) are left standing there basking in some awkwardness doing the social equivalent of twiddling your thumbs. So….. In today’s video, I’m going to share with you 3...
How To Make A PowerPoint Presentation Interactive
How do you design a PowerPoint for contribution—not just consumption? If the thought of sitting through or presenting another dense PowerPoint presentation makes you preemptively break out in hives, you’re not alone. The phrase “Death by PowerPoint” exists for a...
One Thing To Connect Everyone #TeamSeas
Did you know that I got engaged 💍 underwater—almost 10 years ago now? This story is related to something I believe the whole world can agree on and connect over. Watch this video to see actual footage of the underwater proposal and hear about a special...
How Do You Deal With A Difficult Employee
This week's video is about how to turn difference into connection. The whole world was not meant to click – sometimes you’re going to have to work with someone that for whatever reason, you just clash with. When faced with a difficult employee, especially when it’s a...
How To Make Better Small Talk With Anyone
A couple years ago, on a 7-day kayak camping retreat in the absolute middle of nowhere Maine, I got crystal clear on why I exist on the planet. I am here to gently eradicate small talk and create conversations that matter. Today, instead of giving you more of my own...
How To Get To The Point In Conversation
Conversations wander. Even with the best of intentions, we find ourselves talking about everything except what we're actually meeting to discuss, and nothing is accomplished. Priya Parker says "Meet for purpose, not for time." In today's video, I'm going to give you...
Best Practices For Hybrid (So Far)
The world is hybrid. No matter how we feel about, virtual is never going to go away completely. And this isn't all COVID related. Our shift to a blended world certainly sped over the last couple of years, but the world has been heading this way for a good while. So...
How To Create Productive Silence | 5 Creative Techniques
Silence doesn't have to be awkward. Used wisely, it can actually be one of the most useful tools in our communication toolbox. Using just silence, you can change the tone and narrative of the conversation. Silence has the power to quite literally change what people...
How To Deal With A Reluctant Audience
Sometimes you have to engage with a group of people that simply doesn’t want to be there. Maybe they're at the end of a long week. Maybe the session is mandatory and they don't yet see the value or purpose. Maybe they're just simply cranky curmudgeons. The best...