Finding Inspiration with Viktor Frankl

Divorced parents. Deserted by mother who had addiction and mental health challenges. Moved out of Dad and Stepmom’s home before senior year in high school.  Mom at 19 years old. Abandoned by the father. No child support. Dependent on food stamps to eat and medical assistance for healthcare.  Married at 22.  He left for someone

Finding Inspiration with Max Lucado

Closed door. Hushed voice. Gossip. Cornered in an office. Put on the spot. My coworker unloading their annoyances about our coworker. I’m the newest person on the team. Expected to take sides. Slippery slope. Placed between a rock and a hard place. “Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional.” ~Max Lucado When I came across

Be a Leader Your Employees Trust

Closed doors. Rumors. Disappearance. Whispers in corners. Widespread panic. What was happening!?! It was 2001 and the company I worked for was laying off employees. People were given boxes for their belongings, then they were ushered out. Poof! They were gone. The worst magic act ever. This memory came to mind when I read leadership

  • Autonomy is one of three employee psychological needs

Key Psychological Needs of Employee Motivation (1 of 3)

“My wife, Mary Jean, owned a soft ice cream store, which operated from April 15 through Labor Day. Both of our children, Kate and Andy, worked there during the summer months. After they had worked there a few weeks, Mary Jean made this comment to each of them: ‘You’ll often be working by yourself. I

3 Things Employees Cannot Live Without

“Rumor has it you got advisor of the year. Congratulations.” This was a sterile email I received from my boss in 2008.  I still wonder why my boss didn’t walk the 50 feet from her office, to my office, to personally congratulate me on this statewide award. Well, I actually know why. I worked in

Stop Letting Others Violate Your Boundaries

Completely drained and in tears, I realized I had been doing a terrible job setting boundaries. My time was no longer my own because every time someone needed me I said, “Yes”. It wasn’t that people intentionally violated my boundaries, it was that I was teaching them do it, allowing them to do it.  I

The BEST Thing I Learned in Grad School

Grad school was no picnic for me. Not only was I required to conduct research and write a 63-page thesis (not including the appendices and references), I had to pass a 4+ hour comprehensive exam that required citing sources. It was A LOT of work AND totally WORTH IT!  Years later I still find myself

How Stress is Impacting Your Communication

I’m seeing it, hearing it, and feeling it.  I’m guessing you are seeing, hearing, and feeling it too (even if you don’t think you are).  We can easily point to current events like the election, COVID-19, social justice movement, Supreme Court confirmation hearings as reasons for our stress-laden communication. Yes, it has been a difficult