Blog
Feeling Brave This Thanksgiving?
This Thanksgiving you will likely be with family and/or friends to enjoy a meal. When you do there will probably be a conversation. If your tribe is able to talk about politics or world issues there may be strong feelings expressed if you are brave enough to go into...
Tips for powerful conversations
Have you ever had to speak to someone who has more rank than you do, about a delicate topic? Just imagining doing this is frightening to most of us. In order to grow your capacity at home and at work, and to resolve issues, there are times you will need to do this....
When You See Something Say Nothing
One of the common communication problems in construction involves the problem of workers getting quiet at the wrong time. Those with lower rank are often reluctant to speak up, especially when it comes to safety. Most have heard the safety leader or the boss say...
How are you using your status?
Have you ever had a work situation where someone’s rank changed substantially, or someone messed up? How did those involved handle that situation? Did everyone impacted use their status in a way that contributed to the good of the company? Or did some people act...
Joy in the Midst of Hardship
The Grinch had taken everything, all their floofloovers all their tartookas. He snatched every whohooper and gardooka. He stole the roast beast. He left nothing, not even a crumb for that mouse. Then he horsewhipped poor Max his dog, and that giant sled of toys, up...
Is Blame an Issue for you? Part II by Tom Esch
My wife Kristen had a car accident recently. In our driveway. It was not the first time. She expected me to blow up and shower her with blame. I did neither. Why not? Because I “accused myself” first, as recommended by the Persian poet Rumi: When something goes...
Is Blame an Issue? Part I
Do you ever find yourself wanting to blame others for a painful situation? Are others habitually blaming you? When something goes bad at work or at home do you want to point the finger at another person? “Not my fault!” “I had nothing to do with it.” “I think it...
Meditation? “No, I want real solutions to stress”
Most of my coaching these days is with men in construction. These guys are hard-working, tough, no-nonsense individuals. They are used to navigating high stress situations. And these days many of them are showing signs of significant stress: drinking too much, not...
The Slap Heard Round the World
Was it real? Did Will Smith really slap Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars? And why? Just in case you are the only one who missed it. Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith’s hair. She was present in the audience, looking beautiful and with almost no...
What are you sourcing?
There I was in Chicago on a windy evening, in mid-December, and I just wanted to get home. I had been travelling a lot and my wife called to tell me that there were tornado level winds coming up from the south and hitting Minneapolis about an hour before my plane...
