Sylvia Lafair
Summary: Every leader wants conflict resolution to occur as quickly as possible. Few are prepared for the ugly middle, where things get confusing. Here’s how to stay grounded when you feel frustrated and hopeless. Dear Dr. Sylvia, The entire world seems to be fighting all the time. There is no middle ground. I often feel…
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Summary: If you’ve led for a long time, you eventually realize leadership isn’t about staying in front; it’s about walking alongside. The most incredible legacy any long-standing leader can leave is not a list of accomplishments, but a new generation of leaders who’ve learned how to think, decide, and lead well because of your influence.…
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Summary: We live in a world full of noise, deadlines, and distractions that pull us away from ourselves. But glimmers are stubborn little messengers of hope. They sneak in anyway. For example, they arrive in a stranger’s smile, the smell of brownies baking in the oven, the sound of wind threading through trees. These signs…
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Summary: Family, culture, and tradition: our loyalty to them shapes who we are. But sometimes it cages us. Leaders must know the difference. Most leaders don’t fail because of competition; they fail because of the boundaries they refuse to challenge. Breaking boundaries isn’t about chaos. It’s about progress with purpose. Dear Dr. Sylvia, I am…
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Summary: Leadership is often painted as a game of strategy, data, and grit. But ask the best leaders what guided them at critical crossroads, and the answer is rarely found in a spreadsheet. They’ll say, “I just knew,” or “something told me,” or “it clicked in my gut.” Here is why GLIMMERS are so crucial…
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Summary: Leadership today isn’t just about titles, strategies, or skills. It’s about you, and you, and me. It’s about how we each bring our voices forward, no matter our role. Today is about the courage to speak out, ask questions, and yes, to listen. We are at an inflection point, where we can either make…
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Summary: What do you answer when someone starts a conversation with “How are you? “Most of us say the typical knee-jerk “Fine, Thanks.” Also, do you enter a debate with boxing gloves on, ready to win rather than lose? Neither way works in the long term. Here’s what makes a difference. Dear Dr. Sylvia, I…
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Summary: It’s easy to confuse talking with connecting. But not all talking is created equal. There are three very different forms of verbal exchange: conversation, debate, and dialogue. And the one that can change the future, at work, at home, and in the community, is the one we practice the least: dialogue. Dear Dr. Sylvia,…
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Summary: Let’s face it: these days it feels like the world is split into “us” and “them” about… well, everything: politics, workplace policies, parenting styles. Polarization has become the default setting. And when being “right” matters more than being in a relationship, the cost is steep: broken teams, broken families, broken trust. The question is:…
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Summary: The phrase, “That’s just the way they are,” has excused bad behavior for far too long. We often complain about parents or bosses who dominate every conversation, hijack good ideas, and somehow always seem to find the spotlight. But here’s the million-dollar leadership question: Do we have to live with egotistical relationships, or can…
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