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

Key Psychological Needs of Employee Motivation (2 of 3)

My Grandson is 2 ½ years old and his job, as with every 2 ½-year-old, is to learn and master skills.  Each week when I visit him, I see he has learned something new. Words with a lot of syllables in the same sentence. Catch a ball (sort of).  Read (memorize) a book. Run AND

  • 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

A Letter of Thanks

It wasn’t perfect. Well … IT WAS REALLY GOOD, but the timing wasn’t perfect. Before I posted the blog I wrote for today, I couldn’t escape the quiet feeling that I needed to hold off for just one week. Just one little week. You see, deep in my consultant’s soul, I felt the need to

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

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

Talk More – This Message is Not Just for Introverts

Last week I wrote about how to vocalize LESS often, and I had a lingering feeling that I needed to address the reverse: vocalizing MORE often.  WARNING–jumping to the conclusion that this lesson is only for people who need to speak up more (a.k.a. the introvert) is inaccurate. Even the frequently vocal persons out there

LEARNING FROM GIRAFFES: Shhhh …. (Part 5 of 5)

Giraffes aren’t very vocal creatures.  In fact, giraffes are often silent, and when they do vocalize, it’s quite quiet, like humming or snoring. I’m not suggesting you take up snoring at work (but humming could be okay).  What I AM suggesting is that there are benefits to being a little more silent and more selective