Critical Thinking

Satya Nadella’s Leadership at Microsoft: A GLIMMERS Approach to Head, Heart, and Gut Leadership

By Sylvia Lafair | March 18, 2026 |

Summary: When Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft in 2014, the company was already one of the world’s most powerful technology organizations. Yet internally, many employees described a culture marked by competition, silos, and a constant need to prove who was smartest in the room. More than a decade later, Microsoft is widely recognized not…

Revenge Quitting: The Workplace Warning Sign Leaders Are Ignoring

By Sylvia Lafair | March 17, 2026 |

Summary: Did someone just quit your company today? Not quietly, but with determination? Consider the fact that they quit to make a point. Welcome to the new workplace phenomenon known as “revenge quitting.” It’s when employees resign in anger or frustration to send a message to leadership about a workplace culture that has stopped listening.…

When Companies (and Nations) Are Divided: How the GLIMMERS Process Can Help Us Talk Again

By Sylvia Lafair | March 10, 2026 |

Summary: The World feels more divided than ever. Here are ways to think about healing the divide. Not easy, yet possible. The GLIMMERS Process needs us all to rethink our basic conflict strategies. Dear Dr. Sylvia, I am sad and curious at the same time. It is a time of so much dissension and chaos.…

When the World Feels Unsafe, People Look for One Thing from Their Leaders

By Sylvia Lafair | March 3, 2026 |

When the world feels unsafe, leaders set the emotional tone. Discover how calm presence, nervous system regulation, and steady communication support teams and families during chaotic times.

Quiet Leadership in a Noisy World: What the Monks Taught Me About Loving Kindness 

By Sylvia Lafair | February 19, 2026 |

Explore how quiet leadership shapes culture through presence, compassion, and mindful action. Inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh and walking monks, discover why steady humanity—not force—creates lasting trust and transformation.

The Courage to Be Seen: Where Real Connection at Work Begins

By Sylvia Lafair | February 17, 2026 |

Discover how the courage to be seen transforms leadership and workplace culture when leaders finally address the elephant in the room.

The Leadership Message Hidden in Plain Sight: What Bad Bunny Taught Us on the Super Bowl Stage

By Sylvia Lafair | February 14, 2026 |

On the world’s biggest stage, an unexpected performance revealed the leadership message: authentic identity, cultural intelligence, and calm confidence create belonging. Discover how alignment of head, heart, and gut transforms patterns into powerful, inclusive leadership.

Celebrating Thoughtful Leadership: A Shout-Out to Tim Cook

By Sylvia Lafair | January 29, 2026 |

Celebrating thoughtful leadership in times of division, this post highlights how empathy, calm communication, and respect shape stronger workplaces, with Tim Cook’s response serving as a powerful example of leadership that unites rather than divides.

From Time-Outs to Performance Plans: How Family Patterns Quietly Run the Workplace

By Sylvia Lafair | January 23, 2026 |

From Time-Outs to Performance Plans reveals why workplace stress often has little to do with work and everything to do with childhood patterns. When bosses feel like parents and feedback feels personal, the office becomes a family system in business casual—and awareness is the first step to change.

What’s Really Undermining Productivity and Trust at Work?

By Sylvia Lafair | January 19, 2026 |

What’s really undermining team trust and performance at work? Learn how invisible stress patterns quietly sabotage leadership and culture.