Years ago I completed a particularly sad divorce mediation. The husband had tried for years to meet his wife’s expectations, but she was adept at finding fault with everything he did. Shortly after our final meeting, I read an article in Country Magazine in which M.G. Creight described her husband with wonderfully warm…(Read More)
This is a test. Watch the following two minute video clip and decide which person you sympathize with the most…(Read More)
Many of us have no idea how often we wound the people around us. We don’t deliberately set out to hurt others, but because of our natural insensitivity, we frequently stomp on others’ dreams and feelings without even realizing it. The following video clip illustrates this problem … and how to correct it. It’s…(Read More)
I have dozens of passports, and I need to renew them constantly. No, I’m not James Bond or Jason Bourne. I don’t fly from country to country using alternative identities to evade the NSA, CIA, or MI6. I just love people. I enjoy meeting, understanding, encouraging, and helping them. And for that I…(Read More)
If you want to make a confession utterly worthless, use one of these three phrases. “I’m sorry if I’ve done something to upset you.†When you use these words, what people hear is, “I don’t know that I’ve done anything wrong, but since you’re obviously upset, here’s a token…(Read More)
In today’s movie clip, Will Smith demonstrates the enormous benefit relational wisdom (RW) can have in the workplace. The clip comes from the movie Pursuit of Happiness. It is based on the true story of Chris Gardner. In the weeks leading up to this scene, he ran out of money and has been trying…(Read More)
Cinderella Man is one of my favorite movies, largely because it stars Russell Crowe, one of my favorite actors. The story is based on the life of James J. Braddock. Once a successful heavyweight boxer, Braddock was reduced to poverty by a broken hand and the Great Depression. After losing their home, he and his…(Read More)
How can you stop gossip and other critical talk in its tracks? Always be ready to ask three simple questions. If someone begins to share confidential or unfavorable information or opinions about another person, and you are not part of the problem or its solution, simply interrupt and ask: Â “May I quote you when I…(Read More)
Last week I posted a story on my blog entitled “Time to Let Go.†In that post I included this statement: “Sometimes [letting go] will call for … accepting a divorce to preserve some measure of cooperative parenting rather than dragging a legal battle out for months.†The next day I received two very different…(Read More)
Chocolate is nice, but there’s another kind of Easter egg that is infinitely better. It’s called an “Evidence of God’s Grace,†or more simply, an “EGG.†EGGs are everywhere, and yet most people, even Christians, are astonishingly blind to them. Do you realize that it is God’s grace that keeps your…(Read More)
She stood in line quietly crying, holding onto a metal sign to steady herself. I’d just arrived at the airport gate, ready to catch my flight back to Billings yesterday. As I waited for my zone to be called, I noticed her wiping the tears from her cheeks. She was a complete stranger, so…(Read More)
Includes 90 “Get-to-Know-Others” Questions! Many of us waste golden opportunities to deepen relationships during family, church and business conversations. How? We ask generic questions of one another that produce superficial information: “Where are you from?” “What kind of work do you do?” “How long have you been in town?” “Where are you…(Read More)
