Blogs
How to Practice SAFE STRESS
Summary: I want to discuss the benefits of a stress management program for you and your staff. As a leader, you need the best tools to control frustration, anger, and general upset.Dear Dr. Sylvia,My question: “Is anybody feeling stressed these days? Lots of stress? Little stress?”It seems like every day, there is something just around…
7 Ways to “Practice Safe Stress” during times of confusion and chaos
Summary: Whether you attack or retreat, you remain in the “chasm of chaos” till you find your way to the safe stress zone. Here is the route to get to both safety and success. Dear Dr. Sylvia, I need help. Right now! Can you give me a quick, simple way of handling all the stress…
Create Emotional Environment for Success at Work and at Home
Summary: Well, we are in it. It is the worst of times. It is the best of times. It’s all how you perceive what’s going on now. Here are some tips to help. Dear Dr. Sylvia, Indeed, I don’t want to make light of what’s happening on our planet now. However, good is available when…
Have the Rules for Competent Leaders Changed?
Summary: Have the rules for leadership coaching programs changed over time? While much changes, the core of leadership coaching programs is evergreen. That means recognizing and including individuals to work together for the best results. Has social media and the fast pace of the world made authentic leadership qualities so different? I say NO. Then, I…
Leaders and Rebels
Summary: Rebels are often the leaders of the future. However, their argumentative nature needs to focus in a more positive direction. Here are some ideas for rebels becoming community builders. Today we’re looking at why we get so stuck when things repeat and repeat. Einstein’s quote, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll…
How to Change Conflict to Collaboration
Dear Conflict Avoider, I’d like to offer a few tidbits about conflict and how to handle that nasty thing that drives us all to hide under the covers. For example, When I was a keynote speaker about conflict, I often asked how many people love competition. I ask that question, and in a room of…
How Is Good Work Measured in Most Organizations Today?
Summary: How do we measure good work in most organizations today? It’s no longer about longevity and loyalty. Nor about being the first in the office and the last out (to show how hard you work). Past are those days to say ‘yes’ to every project, no matter how overwhelmed you become. Let’s drill down…
Getting the Rebels Who Challenge Everything You Do to Comply
You have the skills to be a leader. You are given great feedback about how well you communicate. So, why is it still a struggle to get some of the rebels who challenge everything you do to comply with what you want done? You question yourself all the time, wondering if you must always fire…
Time to Evict the Mind Monsters
What are those whispered words that haunt you even when no one is talking? These words show up at the most annoying times. They’re the ones that live in your head, like uninvited guests you can’t get rid of. Each of you, yes, you, and you, and you, have certain stuck phrases. And no matter…
How Super Achievers Can Listen to Themselves and Others
Before super achievers can listen to themselves or others, they need to know how they got to be so exhausting, annoying, and demanding in the first place. Here’s how the super-achiever pattern was addressed with a new coaching client, Dan, a Senior VP in a large marketing company that offers leadership development courses for senior executives. He said this about himself, which much initial pride, “Hey, I always have to be…
Are you an avoider or initiator at work?
Are you (or someone you know) an avoider? You know…when there is conflict, contention, carrying-on in a nasty way that doesn’t stop, do you ever think “I gotta get outta here?†We all have that feeling at some time. However, when it happens over and over it’s a powerful behavior pattern…the avoider. Avoiders often grew…
Feedback: Learn to Love It, You’ll Get It Anyway
Summary: Feedback started with report cards and still leaves most of us with an anxiety knot when we have performance reviews at work. Today we’re going to talk about an area of communication that makes most of us shudder. To clarify. It’s all about feedback. For example, the way you give it has ramifications, and…