by Tom Esch | Dec 20, 2013 | Interpersonal Communication, Blog
Every relationship has challenges. Holiday time can make things worse. Authentic apologies can help relieve stress. It takes real courage to apologize authentically, especially if there are legal implications. But the benefits are amazing when apologies come from the...
by Tom Esch | Feb 21, 2013 | How to Handle Polarizing Topics and Challenging People, Blog
Recently I attended an open forum on gun control. There were over 150 people in the room. It was really intense. The person moderating the conversation did a great job introducing the topic and giving many of us a chance to speak. And though the meeting went fairly...
by Tom Esch | Dec 11, 2012 | Using Your Power Effectively, Blog
I recently moderated a conversation on clergy abuse with 64 people at a local Catholic university. Part of our vision was to begin to restore trust and safety for people within the Christian/Catholic community impacted by the particular pain that comes from the misuse...
by Tom Esch | Aug 29, 2012 | Using Your Power Effectively, Blog
I used to be a Catholic priest. It was a good life in many ways. The work was meaningful and rewarding. The people I worked among were dedicated, kind and generous. And I received free tickets to world class college football games! I was living my dream. But the...
by Tom Esch | Dec 10, 2012 | Using Your Power Effectively, Blog
There are lots of ways in which power is misused. Sometimes it looks like unethical business decisions or sexual misconduct (as I wrote about in Misuse of Power—Part I) and other times it looks more benign—like a leader who is lost in their ego-self or taking up too...
by Tom Esch | May 29, 2012 | Interpersonal Communication, Blog
It was a hot summer. We had the windows open on many nights. Our neighbors, who live about 15’ from us, had a variety of dogs living at their house that summer. This one particular week I think they had three dogs staying with them. One of the three was a...
