Diversity

Polarization to Possibility: How Leaders Create Honest Conversations in Divided Times

By Sylvia Lafair | June 2, 2026 |

Summary: Have you noticed lately how difficult it is to have an honest conversation? Whether it’s politics, workplace policies, social issues, generational differences, or organizational change, many people are walking on eggshells. Some stay silent because they’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. Others speak louder and louder because they feel unheard. The result is…

Jean Houston, Leadership, and the Doorway to Possibility: How One Mentor Helped Shape The GLIMMERS Effect™

By Sylvia Lafair | May 21, 2026 |

Summary: When a mentor who made a difference transitions, it prompts reflection on the core of how life has changed. The words from the song “Wicked” have been quietly ringing in my ears. For Jean Houston, “knowing you has changed me for the better.” Change Happens in Unexpected Ways “Something is wrong here.” That was…

What Anna Wintour Teaches Us About The GLIMMERS Effect

By Sylvia Lafair | May 7, 2026 |

Summary: Most people look at Anna Wintour and see the sunglasses, the precision, the intimidating reputation, and the legendary standards. I see something else: a leader who understands the power of GLIMMERS. While others focus on fashion, status, and spectacle, I see a deeper lesson about clarity, courage, and the quiet signals that shape extraordinary…

The GLIMMERS EFFECT: Reawakening Clarity, Courage, and Connection in a World Fueled by Fear

By Sylvia Lafair | May 5, 2026 |

Summary: Everywhere we turn, there’s noise, uncertainty, division, and pressure to perform. A constant low hum of anxiety that never quite shuts off. Leaders feel it. Teams feel it. Organizations live inside it. And here’s the uncomfortable truth: most leadership tools today are designed to help people cope with chaos, not transform it. Let’s go…

America’s Addiction to Gun Violence: Can We Move from Triggers to Glimmers?

By Sylvia Lafair | April 28, 2026 |

Summary: Every time there is another mass shooting, another child killed by a stray bullet, another family shattered in seconds, the same question rises like smoke: why does this keep happening in the United States? Here is a perspective that can lead us out of so much darkness, despair, and fear. Dear Dr. Sylvia, Why…

Friction vs. Conflict: The Leadership Distinction Most People Miss (and Why It Matters More Than Ever)

By Sylvia Lafair | April 14, 2026 |

Summary: Let’s start with a truth that may surprise you ➜ Not all tension on a team is a problem. In fact, some of it is essential. But here’s where leaders get it wrong; they treat friction and conflict as if they’re the same thing. They’re not. And when you confuse the two, you either…

The 6 Reasons People Love Working With Certain Leaders (And Leave Others)

By Sylvia Lafair | April 10, 2026 |

Summary: Let’s start with a truth most leaders don’t want to hear. People don’t leave companies; they leave patterns. And more specifically, they leave leaders whose patterns create disconnection, confusion, and emotional exhaustion. But the reverse is also true. When people love working with a leader, it’s not random. It’s not charisma alone, or just…

Leading Through Uncertainty: Why Your 2026 Strategy Is Already Outdated

By Sylvia Lafair | April 7, 2026 |

Summary: Here’s the hard truth—most leadership strategies for 2026 are built for a world that no longer exists. Leadership today isn’t just about hybrid work or KPIs; it’s about navigating a human reset. The real shift? Moving from automatic triggers to conscious awareness. Organizations that thrive will embrace Human-Centered Leadership, seeing people as whole humans…

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…

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.…