As we wrap up another trip around the sun, spending our time reflecting on days gone by and ruminating on what’s to come as the calendar turns from 2014 to 2015, I want to talk about the idea of choice. Many of us have used the phrase, “I had no choice.” But I don’t believe that anymore. Whether or not to do or say something is a choice in my book. Or doing something and implying that one’s hands are tied and nothing else could be done is also choosing. I think that in every situation we always have a choice…

We have seen a growing wealth of research on the benefits of acknowledging gratitude and on the mechanisms of how practicing gratitude succeeds in creating positive impact. From the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, we know that the practitioners of gratitude have…

With mid-term elections finally concluding perhaps we can all get a little peace – fewer flyers in our mailbox, visitors ringing the doorbell, disruptive ads on television, and so on. (Although that’s all being quickly replaced by holiday shopping promotions!)

The democratic process is absolutely critical as is our right to free speech. What I would like to imagine is that if we have to endure a prolonged period of debate, let’s at least have the discussion be substantive so that we can actually have a prayer of understanding the interests of the represented sides…

It’s that time of year when common colds and the flu virus begin to spread. Every fall/winter there’s a major stir and worry for catching something that knocks you out for days or weeks. Given the personal manner of transmittal, one effect may be minimized contact in the office and distance from our colleagues, which is already on a downturn in our global, virtual work world.

What if, instead, we focused on a different kind of contagion; one that we actually hoped would spread? What if it spread like wild fire around the company and the outcomes were enhanced productivity and increased positivity?…

Distracted driving [working] is any activity that diverts a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving [working]. All distractions endanger the safety of drivers [employees], passengers [colleagues] and bystanders [customers], and cell phone use [multi-tasking] is the number one distraction behind the wheel [desk]…

Imagine you’re in sales leadership and you’re in discussions with a training and consulting firm to provide much-needed skill development to improve individual, team and, most importantly, corporate performance. The discovery process is going well and there’s strong alignment between training objectives and Sales vision. And then suddenly the quarter comes to a close, sales are down, and funding for this (and other) training initiatives is suspended…

If you’re looking in the right places, such as Forbes, Huffington Post, TED, Harvard Business Review, NPR and the like, there is a heightened focus on the need to “prepare leaders” for the challenges of running businesses in today’s global marketplace wrought with highly complex, intensely competitive and rapidly changing environments…

Mindfulness is a hot topic. Just in the last three months, articles abound in The Guardian, Business Standard, Huffington Post, New York Times and Reuters. What is it and why would we want to exhibit it?

Mindfulness is a practice of focusing on the present rather than dwelling on the past or ruminating on the future. When we focus our attention in this way, we become calmer, more productive, and engaged…

Ever watch one of the talent, dance or voice reality shows? As a guilty pleasure, I’ve seen them all at one point and after every performance a panel of celebrity judges gives the performer feedback. Each judge has their own style and some have become infamous (think Simon Cowell and his no-mince opinions and harsh tones). From my perspective, some judges are better than others at structuring and expressing their feedback…

When you’re involved in a discussion aimed at reaching an agreement with someone there are a multitude of factors that can affect the process and outcome. One of the more significant variables is relationship. In the midst of ongoing discussion - negotiating a contract, persuading someone to share your perspective, offering feedback, resolving a conflict – the status of your relationship with the other party can swing the pendulum dramatically…

Assuming you agree that time is valuable, ask yourself these questions:

1. Why is it so common to feel like many of the meetings you attend are often a waste of time or could have been handled differently, kept shorter, or involved a different set of people?

2. How often do you think that you’re spending so much time in meetings that you don’t have any time to actually get work done?

3. When was the last time you went to a meeting and knew the agenda ahead of time?

4. As a facilitator, how often do you take the time to think about, create and share meeting objectives as well as relevant information in advance?

5. As an attendee, how often do you request an agenda if one isn’t provided or offer your expectations for the time together?…

Have you ever wondered how you could be more influential in situations in your life? Having studied, observed, practiced and taught best practices to being influential for decades, I believe a good start is to first influence yourself and then you can be influential with others. If you go into the situation without having influenced yourself first, you may be unprepared and resistant and find that getting to a good outcome is tougher that you hoped. To me, influencing yourself first means putting yourself in the right mindset and planning a little so the conversation will flow in a positive direction…

To a consultant's delight, the first quarter of the calendar year can be quite busy from a sales perspective as existing clients and prospects are heavily engaged in matching their organizational needs to a training firm's offerings. A company's budgets, goals, and other internal and external factors drive the process. Key personnel from relevant parts of the organization get involved to facilitate buy-in.

Often times, the process becomes more of a drive-thru experience where components are quickly selected from a plethora of menu items without enough thought as to what goes together, how to pace, and what happens afterwards…

There is something so inspiring about Olympic athletes. There is a concrete takeaway that I can actually apply in my daily life, which these top performers exude. I call it the olympic mindset and it goes well beyond the technical skills of their sport…

With Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVIII, I had the experience of watching a game that I enjoy but without the emotional attachment to an outcome. My favorite team was not playing so I didn’t feel the stress and pressure, the internal emotional pull, for a particular team to win. I cheered when a good play happened and listened when a questionable call was reviewed, calmly considering my own opinion of which way it should have gone. I could sit in the place of objectivity and not be swept by strong emotions in either direction. What a concept!…

The host of a program on NPR recently asked the guest that common, conversation-starting question, "If you could have lunch/dinner with 3 famous people dead or alive, who would they be?" Maybe I'm influenced by the time of year and the recent commemoration, but when I ask myself who one would be, I think of Martin Luther King, Jr., humanitarian, and leader of the civil rights movement…

Many news agencies are reporting on the “polar vortex” this week. It’s an evocative phrase and I wanted to add to the conversation, from my non-meteorological perspective…