Sylvia Lafair

a prince and a princess looking at each other

Spotting The Big Difference Between Charming and Sincere

By Sylvia Lafair | October 2, 2016 | Comments Off on Spotting The Big Difference Between Charming and Sincere

We live in a time of sizzle and dazzle, quips and giggles. It’s not a time to do deep dives into any subject. How do I know? I’ve fool-hardheartedly been following the Presidential election soaps on television and twitter. I’ve been wondering why and when we turned from substance to slander and superficiality. I want…

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How Todays Trinity of Extremes Affects Us All

By Sylvia Lafair | September 26, 2016 | Comments Off on How Todays Trinity of Extremes Affects Us All

Yes, we live in a fast paced world. Yes, we are often at tipping points of stress. Yes, we can do better. “We are all in it together and no one wins unless we all do.†This mantra sounds good, however, for most of us it sounds naïve. Sometimes the world seems to be spinning…

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Magic Moments Best When Unexpected

By Sylvia Lafair | August 30, 2016 | Comments Off on Magic Moments Best When Unexpected

Got on the bus. Waited. Got on another bus. Waited even longer. Had a bad feeling this paid in advance tour was going to disappoint. And it did. Almost. Tours to that revered site in Rome, the Vatican are expensive and seemingly necessary. Otherwise the lines can be hours long. The Vatican is a must…

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Big Decisions, Little Decisions: Which Are More Important?

By Sylvia Lafair | August 23, 2016 | Comments Off on Big Decisions, Little Decisions: Which Are More Important?

The quality of your life, personally and professionally, is based on how you make decisions. There is the old way and the new way: hint, the new way is actually older than the old way. The indigenous cultures all knew and still know that everything is connected. Somewhere along the way as we became “sophisticated…

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Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

By Sylvia Lafair | August 3, 2016 | Comments Off on Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

I hear this plaintive cry from executives and middle managers all the time. I hear it from superintendents to elementary school teachers for at least ten months out of the year. Getting along is what we all want. Right? So, why does it seem almost impossible to get through even a few days without feeling…

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Clear The Past To Free The Future: Life Stories Spoken Out Loud Heal Wounds From Our Unresolved Racial War

By Sylvia Lafair | July 13, 2016 | Comments Off on Clear The Past To Free The Future: Life Stories Spoken Out Loud Heal Wounds From Our Unresolved Racial War

Charles sat down and wiped the perspiration from his forehead. He looked at the fifteen others in the room. He could not decide if he felt relieved or embarrassed. That was it. Finally, John broke the silence by saying quietly, “We are truly sorry. Thank you for your honesty and openness.†There was nothing more…

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What Courage Looks Like

By Sylvia Lafair | June 20, 2016 | Comments Off on What Courage Looks Like

Twice a year we do a program for leaders and emerging leaders. It is a four session program spread over five months. Each time I include clips of leaders who have and continue to make a difference in our world. There are a few staples, like Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln. We choose from a…

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The Downside Of Growing Your Organizational Culture

By Sylvia Lafair | May 12, 2016 | Comments Off on The Downside Of Growing Your Organizational Culture

I was sitting having a quick dinner in Manhattan with some colleagues. The place was packed and the noise level high. Just a typical 6:30 p.m. time of workplace decompressing, after one of those typical rush and get it done days. At the table to the left we heard “No one should be forced to…

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Do You Want To Change?

By Sylvia Lafair | May 5, 2016 | Comments Off on Do You Want To Change?

There is an old saying, “Technology changes, people don’t.†It’s kind of depressing to think that with all the good stuff at our finger tips, we are not much different from Neanderthal man and woman. Well, maybe we dress better. As social beings, everything we do is interactive and contextual. And yes, technology has changed…

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Ain’t It Good To Be Alive

By Sylvia Lafair | April 14, 2016 | Comments Off on Ain’t It Good To Be Alive

Last weekend we trekked to Manhattan for the season premiere of ALIVE: 55+ and Kicking. And what a day it was. Just being in the presence of the executive producer, Vy Higginsen would have been enough. However, the day brought so much that I simply want to stand up and applaud the entire cast and…

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