General Advice
You Can Help Clean Up The (Social) Environment
Beyond the heated debates about The Green New Deal, renewable energy, and eco-friendly everything lies an environment in which we all exist day to day. It is the social environment, the human community, our cities and towns and social media enclaves, where we interact. This environment has been horribly polluted. It reeks of spoilage. Of […]
Continue ReadingHow Leaders Define and Deal With Conflict
LISTEN NOW: Welcome to the weekly podcast from The Backbone Institute! Today’s discussion: DEALING WITH CONFLICT How do you define conflict? I don’t know many people who really like conflict, but it exists. We tend to lump everything together that makes us uncomfortable and call it conflict, but that’s accurate. Is a Different point of […]
Continue ReadingCommunicate Better by Learning the Power of Language
Not a week goes by that someone doesn’t say something stupid, then act surprised when they’re called on it. Words are powerful communicators of what’s inside a person. And since our society has removed almost all barriers of decorum and appropriateness when it comes to saying what’s on our minds, some people reveal a lot […]
Continue ReadingKids Watch Adults for Clues About How to Behave and How to Succeed
It takes great discipline and more than a little practice to stay focused on a mission when there is substantial resistance and noise surrounding it. A change in direction, whether in a company, a school system, a family, even a church means that some will be supportive, while others will disagree with the change and […]
Continue ReadingPersonal and Professional Growth Takes Time
Learning a new skill or adopting new behavior is a process. A process, by definition, consists of numerous steps usually followed sequentially and often requiring that one step be completed successfully before another can begin. Computer processes take a substantial amount of time to design; when complete they can make a lot of work seem […]
Continue ReadingHow to Think Before You Communicate
Watch babies sometime to see how they try to express themselves. I had the delightful opportunity to spend time with my 10-month old granddaughter over the weekend and I was fascinated to witness her advancing communications skills. It got me thinking about how we learn to share what’s on our minds. Babies cry when they […]
Continue ReadingProtecting Yourself From the Confusion Power Tactic
My head has been spinning lately as I watch our government do things that have never been done before and try to discern the reasons why. Forgive my naiveté, but when did we give the government permission to remove business leaders from their jobs? I missed that news. When did we decide that talking to […]
Continue ReadingPay Attention to What’s on Your Mind to Move Forward in Life
A month ago I had the privilege of time and space away from everything normal. I was in Hawaii visiting friends, seeing spectacular sights, and enjoying the power and peacefulness of the ocean. I purposely unplugged for the week and found it to be one of the best decisions I’ve made in some time. As […]
Continue ReadingThe Shortcut to Fame and Fortune is a Delusion
As Ziggy says as he stands next to the Big Red X – “You are here.” We’ve crested the hill and begun the descent down the slippery slope of something I struggle to name. But I think it’s Pride. The slippery slope has been with us since the beginning of time. It’s the lure of […]
Continue ReadingStop Moping and Discover Your Capacity Today!
The old saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” is being sorely tested these days. Amid government bailouts, struggling schools, and declining communities, one searches far and wide for the kind of toughness that gets going to turn things around. It seems our national self-image as rough-hewn pioneers has melted down to […]
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