Growth

Father’s Day Gift Suggestions (Hint: Not a Necktie!)

By Sylvia Lafair | July 15, 2017 |

Every Father’s Day, I bet just about everyone thinks about their dad. Some with warm feelings, others with hurt and anger, others wondering who the man is, or where he is. My story is a tough one to discuss; however, over the years, I’ve learned that talking is better than ignoring and stuffing things way down under.…

Free to Be You and Me…Are We There Yet?

By Sylvia Lafair | July 3, 2017 |

Way back, almost 45 years ago, there was a record album (yes, that’s what we had back then) for kids.  It was the brainchild of actress Marlo Thomas.  A gift, so she thought, for her niece who was 4 years old and exploring what it meant to be a little girl. Helping one person became…

Remembering Memorial Day

By Sylvia Lafair | May 29, 2017 |

It doesn’t seem to stop.  I’m writing this after watching a video of young people at a concert in Manchester, England, run for their lives after a bomb explosion stopped the music. I’m writing this after hearing the pain of a dad whose handsome son was knifed to death while waiting with friends near a…

The Power of Shifting (Make Sure You Hear That Word Clearly)

By Sylvia Lafair | May 22, 2017 |

Funny story: I was working on getting my negative thinking under control and asked someone to help me.  You see, it’s hard to do anything totally alone and I know the power of relationships can make a tremendous difference. I found my power person to help and I found my power word. I asked my dearest, best…

Guess Who’s Coming To Breakfast, Lunch and Maybe Even Dinner

By Sylvia Lafair | March 31, 2017 |

Is your company going through a growth spurt? Need more good people to participate in your exciting endeavors? Want to fill the shoes of those who have moved up with those ready to move up? Warning: Don’t overlook those seated before you. Lately I’ve been watching my colleagues combing through resumes looking for the “just…

When Is Enough…Enough

By Sylvia Lafair | November 28, 2016 |

This time of year, prepares us to ask “What really matters?†It’s a tradition to give gratitude as we sit around the Thanksgiving dinner table. Often what we say slips off our tongues without thinking about it. Yes, we’re thankful for our families, our health, a meal to fill our bellies, the team we root…

Standing Rock is Rocking Our World

By Sylvia Lafair | November 28, 2016 |

The growing focus on Standing Rock Reservation and the issues surrounding water, oil, human rights, and earth rights brought up a memory from several years ago. The morning after the sweat lodge we sat in a circle for our farewell ceremony. Bleary eyed in the predawn cold, something looked and felt different. Was it just me?…

How Todays Trinity of Extremes Affects Us All

By Sylvia Lafair | September 26, 2016 |

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…

Big Decisions, Little Decisions: Which Are More Important?

By Sylvia Lafair | August 23, 2016 |

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…

Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

By Sylvia Lafair | August 3, 2016 |

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…