The Sharpening Stone – Friction to Fire

Conflict avoidance and conflict management are frequent topics in executive coaching. People most often avoid conflict because they are trying to circumvent undesirable reactions or ongoing relationship contention that can result from confrontation or challenge. Unfortunately, when we avoid dealing with things that are aversive to us in some way, it tends to [...]

The Sharpening Stone – Friction to Fire2023-03-07T01:56:02+00:00

The Sharpening Stone – Don’t Confuse “Busy” with “Productive”

Do you pride yourself on being an “excellent multi-tasker”? Do you feel much (or most) of the time like you are Sooo busy, yet don’t really get much done (at least not the truly important things)? Are your relationships at work and outside work suffering because you’re too busy or preoccupied to [...]

The Sharpening Stone – Don’t Confuse “Busy” with “Productive”2022-12-05T00:21:17+00:00

The Sharpening Stone – Staying or Going? Let’s Have a Better Conversation

My wife loves Hallmark Movies, and after watching a number of them with her, I find there’s a common theme – Couple is interested in each other, but they don’t express it to one another, then one thinks – do I stay or do I go? - because they think the other [...]

The Sharpening Stone – Staying or Going? Let’s Have a Better Conversation2022-09-09T20:44:20+00:00

The Sharpening Stone – Organizational Fitness for a Healthy Future

A number of years ago at a gym where I worked out I was introduced to the concept of “The Three Pillars Of Fitness” – Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility. Personal reflection on these so-called pillars yielded an appreciation for their identification as a synergistic triad – each important but insufficient alone. [...]

The Sharpening Stone – Organizational Fitness for a Healthy Future2022-07-18T12:00:18+00:00

The Sharpening Stone – Choose to be Resilient

If nothing else, the pandemic of this past year has increased our awareness of the importance of resilience – for individuals, for families and communities, and for business organizations. We are well aware that, in the face of stress and change, some leaders and organizations thrive while others falter and even [...]

The Sharpening Stone – Choose to be Resilient2021-08-24T00:53:50+00:00

The Sharpening Stone – Bring Your Child to Work

When we work with family-owned businesses, a common question we hear from parents is, “How important is it, really, for our sons and daughters to work for someone else? Won’t that just delay their readiness for key roles in our own company?” In our view, it’s pretty important.  We generally recommend [...]

The Sharpening Stone – Bring Your Child to Work2021-07-01T02:06:06+00:00

The Sharpening Stone – Let’s Talk About Trust

Let’s talk about TRUSTLeaders set the tone and the example in determining the level of safety and trust that exists in an organization.If trust is absent or uncertain, we are forced to spend our time and energy protecting ourselves from each other, and that weakens the organization and its productivity. When trust [...]

The Sharpening Stone – Let’s Talk About Trust2021-05-18T00:59:42+00:00

The Sharpening Stone – Accountability is NOT a Four-letter Word

If, like most of us, you have ever resolved to engage some process of self-improvement, you have probably confronted the sobering fact that saying something, even really wanting it, is not the same as doing it. Any effort to engage such a process readily reveals several realities: We all aspire to be better, [...]

The Sharpening Stone – Accountability is NOT a Four-letter Word2020-10-14T02:13:17+00:00
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