The stress on healthcare workers is increasing exponentially as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads around the world. Even in the best of times, healthcare workers face a multitude of relational, emotional and physical challenges, including compassion fatigue, emotional...
Three Qualities that Improve Every Relationship
I’ve hired many people … and fired only a few. My best co-workers thrived because of three key character qualities. The disappointing ones struggled because they lacked the very same qualities. I’ve noticed an identical dynamic in friendships, marriages and...
Leadership Transitions: The Good, the Bad and the Clumsy
I’ve seen a lot of leadership transitions over the past thirty years. Like the characters in an old Clint Eastwood western, they generally fell into one of three categories: The Good, the Bad, and the Clumsy (which often turned ugly). Bad Transitions Bad transitions...
No Excuses
I failed a friend. Badly. No, not just badly … very badly. It took me a while to face it. When I finally realized what I’d done, embarrassment kept me from going to talk with him right away. So now I was doubly wrong. Failed to support him, and failed to admit it even...
Really Nice Pants
In today’s movie clip, Will Smith demonstrates the enormous benefit relational wisdom (RW) can have in the workplace. The clip comes from the movie Pursuit of Happiness. It is based on the true story of Chris Gardner. In the weeks leading up to this scene, he ran out...
Employers Reap a Double Benefit with RW Training
Would you like to find an investment that consistently produces a return of $1.50 to $6.85 for every dollar you invest? What if that investment had the additional benefit of making your business, church or nonprofit run more smoothly and producing more creative, loyal...
Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures is one of the best movies I’ve seen in years. This recent release portrays the remarkable character and accomplishments of three brilliant African-American women who played key roles in one of the greatest engineering operations in history: the launch...
Reconciled by a Baby Moose
After two fruitless mediation sessions, Dave and Don were still miles apart and more bitter than ever. Best friends since high school, Don had hired Dave to manage his construction crews. Working long hours together, they built a highly successful company. But then a...
The Three P’s of Satisfaction
It’s not often that an attorney loses a lawsuit, along with her two million dollar contingency fee, and yet walks away satisfied. I’ve seen similar satisfaction with employees who didn’t get a promotion. With church members who disagreed with their pastors. And with...
Good Cop, Great Cop
Deputy Matt Holman saved the life of a homeless man staggering toward destruction. His name was Robert Morris. He’d lost his family, become an addict, and was living in a tent in the woods … until it was washed away late one night in a flood. As Mr. Morris reported in...