If you live in West Michigan, you’ve experienced what many refer to as the “dog days” of summer, with heat and humidity at a high point. The name “dog days” came from the ancient Romans because they associated the hottest days of summer with the star Sirius. Sirius was known as the “Dog Star” because Read More
Once there was an eagle’s nest with four beautiful eggs perched on the side of a mountain. An earthquake occurred causing one of the eggs to roll out of the nest and down the mountain side. It landed in the middle of a chicken farm below. The chickens gathered around the egg and decided they Read More
The other day, I was teaching a workshop and after one of the activities, I asked the group to share their thoughts, comments or questions. One of the participants said the model for conversation that I had just reviewed was familiar; he had learned and used similar things many times in the past, and this Read More
You are probably familiar with the Japanese proverb Fall down seven times, stand up eight. In other words, continue to try. Too many people give up when success doesn’t come quickly enough. In her book, Your Journey to Greatness Through Routine, author Michelle Steffes says, “Imagine your success journey as a train. Unless you begin Read More
This is a Guest Post by: Ben Martin, Thera Rising It feels like the most important conversations are the hardest to have, doesn’t it? How many times have we known we should bring up a tough subject, only to chicken out when that toe-curling feeling of apprehension wiggles up in our gut? What if I told Read More
In my blog post on November 1, you were invited to participate in a gratitude challenge. I know many of you started, and I hope you all finished the challenge and feel better as a result. Neuroscientists have discovered that practicing gratitude releases the happiness hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin is nicknamed the “happiness hormone” because Read More
Once there was a carpenter who decided to retire after a long and storied career. When he told his boss, the builder, of his intentions, the builder asked the carpenter if he would do one last job. The carpenter reluctantly agreed. He approached this project like none other. In the past, he had always given Read More
Just before dusk, on the last night of an end-of-summer camping trip, a young boy and his father were walking through the woods. They walked and talked together for some time until they came across a fallen tree branch on the ground in front of them. The boy cheerfully ran ahead and called back to Read More
In one of my favorite books, the authors Kathi Elster and Katherine Crowley write, “Let’s face it, the relationship at work between a boss and an employee often becomes a minefield of emotional misinterpretations.” I couldn’t agree more, and it’s not just between the supervisor and their direct report, it is between employees at all Read More
I recently volunteered to be a part of a group dialog with other business professionals about leadership, management and accountability. As part of the process, my staff were invited to give anonymous feedback in 10 different areas. I also ranked myself in the same 10 areas. The group’s facilitator then recapped all the information into Read More
