When to Change Your Work Environment
“I can’t take this anymore! I quit!” Helen yelled as she stomped out of the office for the last time. Silence followed her as stunned staff members held their breath. Despite having a wonderful purpose of helping children, the group faced significant challenges. Helen was a key figure, who had co...
Calmly Deal with Conflict: Create Possibilities Amid Disagreements
The moving truck buzzed while we flew by cars waiting to exit the 8-lane freeway. “Hey, you were supposed to turn there! You don’t listen to me!” I hollered at my husband, Steve. For two days I had navigated and several times he decided to go a different way adding hours to our drive. He looked a...
Create Hope with Compassion: Be a Peaceful Changemaker
Compassion changes lives. This was true for Augie, an abused dog left to die near a Middle Eastern garbage pile. There was little hope for him until he caught the attention of a woman walking nearby. In response to seeing her, Augie moved the only thing he could and wagged his tail. The woman bro...
Women Who Confidently Say “No”: Listen to Internal Alarms and Clearly Establish Boundaries
“You are so beautiful,” Ned said while caressing my hand. He was the head of staff where I was doing a professional internship.What?! My heart rate accelerated while internal alarms rang loudly. The classroom’s colorful posters and empty chairs faded into the background as the meeting jumped into...
You Can Say No and Still Be Kind
“Why did I say “yes”? I complained while dropping onto bed fully dressed. Every muscle seemed to ache and my head hurt thinking about the letters and forms I agreed to complete for a coworker. My schedule was too full already, but I knew exactly why I said “yes.” I was afraid to say “no.” Ever c...