Intended kindnesses may backfire

Caring, conscious people want to be helpful. However, what seems like helpful to the giver can show up as unhelpful to the receiver. On a recent two-week trip with 14 strangers, we all got along. On the first day, one of my co-travelers asked if he could borrow...

Article about Turkey trip

After our trip toTurkey to be part of a group of Americans to be the conversational English practice for a group of Turkish school kids, this article was published on the Turkey Ministry of Environment and Forestry website about our group. This is a rough translation....

Are you accusatory?

It’s easy to get angry and defensive when someone accuses you of something you didn’t do. Yet have you examined if you speak in accusatory language? For example, a colleague didn’t get a recent email I’d sent. When discussing this, he said,...

Everyday lagniappe

You may know the word “lagniappe” is a Cajun phrase for giving something extra. It can be a physical item or going out of your way for someone. If you want to stand out, you provide lagniappe, whether as a corporate employee, an entrepreneur, or as a...