Most leaders know how to listen for what they want to hear. Many leaders have learned how to listen for what they need to hear. But I have met very few leaders who understand the importance of listening for what they don’t want to hear. And they are the leaders who are truly respected. Who would you want to follow? The leader who listens for that last ten percent -- that which far too often goes unspoken -- is a → Read more
We all have those conversations. They range from “you’re the greatest” to “you are absolutely worthless”, and a million others in between. They can build up, or they can tear down. The pen may be mightier than the sword, but the tongue is the most potent weapon of them all. So, what happens when those conversations never leave my head? What am I building or destroying when the target is...me? And on which side of the conversation -- speaking, or listening → Read more
I place a high value on trust and integrity. As vice president many years ago, I was given a variety of privileges, and I worked hard to honor those privileges. So, when the president of the company started to accuse me of stealing from the company, I was perplexed and dumbfounded. At first, I took it personally, because it was an attack on who I am, fundamentally. That led to anger, tears and a desire to quit my job and → Read more
Do you ever get tired of change? I’m not afraid to admit this: I do. Unfortunately change is perpetual and, thanks to inventions like rapid transit and the Internet, occurs faster now than at any point in history. There are times change leaves me breathless. I have had to take a lot of time to think about the concept of change. I’m going to have to deal with it. I might as well learn how I relate to it. Here’s → Read more
Marie is a gracious, delightful, very alert 91-year-old who lives alone in her country home. Off the main roads country—the ancient dirt road passing in front of her home has a history dating back to the late 1700’s. She has nieces and nephews nearby, all part of her close-knit family. In her younger years Marie was a nurse. She and her husband travelled widely and lived in several states, she’s an avid reader, and an accomplished amateur artist. Conversation topics → Read more
