Building Sustainable Engagement

By Doric Olson
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Align Individual & Organizational Needs

By Doric Olson

Usually, when something goes wrong in an organization, somebody gets the blame. But how often is it really that person’s fault?  If you are working in a team, or as part of a larger group, the research shows that far more often than not, the root cause is found somewhere else. Misunderstandings or miscommunication about…

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Would You Like More Effective Meetings? Here’s How:

By Doric Olson

Build Alignment- Get Clear on Who Gets to Decide What I used to teach a class on effective meeting management. One of the key lessons was how important it is to let people know the purpose of a meeting and what is expected from them. I made recommendations about getting agendas out ahead-of-time with clearly stated…

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Balance Your Life for Better Results & Satisfaction

By John Utter

Getting a good sense of what it takes to live a balanced life keeps everything in perspective and helps strengthen your life. Directions: The wheel below contains eight areas that, together, represent one way of describing a whole life. This exercise measures your level of satisfaction in these areas today. Taking the center of the wheel as…

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Unconditional Positive Regard: The Key to Powerful Relating

By John Utter

We’ve all had interactions with people that believe in us, that really connect with us somehow. Those interactions are inspiring and energizing. They can bring out the best in us. The connection can also inspire a sense of loyalty to that person.  This is the power of unconditional positive regard. Do you have a person…

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9 Keys for a Thriving Career & Life

By John Utter

I’m a believer in following dreams and also a fan of the cautionary phrase, “be careful what you dream of.” The good dreams have a grounding in reality, even though they may seem incredibly difficult, and they have a service ethic of some kind. Fantasies, on the other hand, tend to be self-aggrandizing, and when…

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Listening: How to Develop the #1 Most Powerful Skill

By John Utter

[fusion_text]If you’ve played music in any kind of group you know how important listening is. You listen actively so you can play accurately. Your success in your relationships at home, at work, or anywhere else also depend greatly on the quality of your listening. Listening is an incredibly important gateway. It’s how we receive the…

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How to Stay Engaged in Difficult Situations: The BOAT Process

By John Utter

Here’s a simple four-step process that can help you get engaged. It’s called BOAT (Breathe, Observe, Accept, Think) because it can keep you afloat during turbulent times and help prevent you from sinking into the energy draining patterns of resistance. The BOAT process can be used during times of duress and throughout the day to…

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Energize Draining Activities

By John Utter

Step 1 Does it need to be done? Check to see if the task actually needs to be done. If the task doesn’t need to be done, you’re done with it. Step 2 Do I need to do it? If the task does need to be done, see if there is a person more suited…

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What is a Growth Mindset and Why Does it Matter?

By John Utter

A growth mindset is an attitude of curiosity, and even eagerness, when facing a challenge. It is cultivated by focusing on one’s growth, process, and efforts whereas a fixed mindset is reinforced by: tying one’s personal value to the results one can produce focusing on efforts to prove whether one is talented or not the…

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