In this project, the group leader set the stage for seeing the power in the previous discussion where masks were removed and the participants were vulnerable. Continue reading

In our 10-Module approach to the program this project was handed out at the end of the last session as homework. A very simple project consisting of 20 statements which are actually thoughts people might carry around with them. The instructions present them as "that voice in your head" and ask that we check each one as having heard it either Almost Never or Sometimes. There are no group leader reports since the discussion is actually a set up for the next project. A few of my Almost Never: I play up my personal troubles because I enjoy the attention... Continue reading

EP 3, I can't help the way I feel right now, but I CAN help the way I think and act, really helps us see the power we have as a thinking human being. In this approach, we begin to see our emotions as what they are and then make a choice to let them control our behavior or not. Continue reading

To be human includes being emotional. These emotions bring us together when we share joy, love, laughter, and even tears. But there is also a downside which many times pushes us apart. Being aware of how we use emotions, and knowing we have choices, is part of the adventure in life. Continue reading

There is obviously a strong need in our culture for people to be more vulnerable with each other. It also suggests that understanding emotions is an overlooked aspect of our personal and professional development. If it were not for Adventures in Attitudes I would probably never have taken the time to even think about it in the way it is presented here. So, the next few exercises will take us further on this journey of understanding who we are as emotional human beings. Continue reading

Most of what people want from life are linked to emotions Continue reading

"You spend all of your life motivating people, getting people to do things for you." That is especially true if you are leading others. Your role is one that depends on getting things done through other people. Continue reading

most of us express our emotions, often letting those emotions talk (Level 4), but that is not the same as talking about our emotions. Continue reading

Looking at the six levels of communication I would guess very few of us get to level five or six very often. Some maybe never. For me, emotions are not easy to express Continue reading

This project is a set-up for a discussion on emotions in Project 27. The group leader reads one of three short situations; one in a work setting, one in a home setting and one in a school setting. Each is designed to elicit natural feelings you might have when someone treats you "unjustly". Ever been there? Wow! How easy it was to put myself in any of those situations and experience the feelings of anger, hurt and maybe even thoughts of mild revenge - or, with my behavioral style, something more passive-aggressive. But of course that is the point of... Continue reading

Again the idea of “self-talk”. What we say to ourselves has such power - for good or ill. In this discussion project we shared some of the ways our self-talk has been negative. One of the big take-aways for me was a comment made by a table mate - “Don’t compare the inside of you with the outside of someone else”. Wow!, did that hit home for me. I shared a number of instances in my life where I did that comparison and, interestingly enough, when I really got to know the other person I discovered that they were as... Continue reading

Perhaps one of the greatest barriers to great relationships and high trust in the workplace is mis-understood intentions. And the reason for this is simple. We cannot see intentions, we only see behavior, or hear words. Continue reading

Forgive and Forget is the way I have always heard it. But is that the best approach when you are trying to build trust in a workplace relationship, or anywhere for that matter? Continue reading

In our work with teams we often find communication problems which are rooted in some occurrence, often years earlier, in which one person said or did something to another person that was hurtful in some way. From that point on the relationship became toxic and communication ceased to be productive. Now we arrive and bring the team together for a team-building session of some type. In the course of that meeting we discover the relationship issue. What to do? Continue reading

In the previous project, Project 24, we took a deep dive into personal affirmations. Once again it is time to capture a bit of the conversation on a small reminder card to be reviewed on a regular basis. This time it is the I CAN card. If I had to boil AiA down into it's most basic components it would be the three reminder cards - I AM, I CAN, and I WILL. The original program had these three cards and three copies of the PATIENCE card - that's it for reminder cards. I think you can tell that Bob... Continue reading

Affirmations are a big part of Adventures in Attitudes. In this project we took time to explore and create possible affirmations in many areas of our lives. The idea, as Bob puts it, is to “allow your mind to be so consumed by positive declarations that all images of fear, doubt and negative thinking completely disappear”. Continue reading

The words to take away from this are I AM and I CAN. Simple, but effective. Continue reading

As I think of all the efforts I have made in my life to change my thinking, I find that the most significant have been those while engaged with others Continue reading

Our life is primarily controlled by our attitudes - the way we think! Continue reading

In his inimitable fashion, Bob Conklin simplifies mutual trust and takes us on a thought journey into honesty. Honesty, he says, is the foundation for mutual trust. His path to trust is short and elegant - “You need to be basically honest. Honesty crops out into sincerity. And sincerity is the mold for mutual trust.” Continue reading

It is probably not necessary to make a case for the power of trust in relationships of any kind - business, professional, or personal. We use the word a lot and still struggle to understand it, develop it and, when lost, restore it. Bob Conklin, in this vignette ending the unit on Attitude Awareness, writes about mutual trust. It is unfortunate that we allocate no time to discussing his vignettes since they are usually quite powerful and thought-provoking. And this one is no exception. In his inimitable fashion, Bob simplifies mutual trust and takes us on a thought journey into... Continue reading

Bob Conklin begins this message with a story about a Persian prince who, as a boy, was somewhat crippled. So, he had a statue made of himself standing straight and tall; an image of how he expected to be as he grew up. He would look at that statue every day and say, "that is me, that is how I will become". Continue reading

The reason most people fail is that the vast majority of thoughts about themselves and their abilities are negative. They completely overlook all of their positive abilities, talents, and potential. Continue reading

According to Bob Conklin, your self-image has probably been haphazardly developed over the years by a variety of experiences and accomplishments Continue reading

As a result of working with Pat Lencioni's team development model I have become intrigued by the impact of vulnerability on trust. The work of Brené Brown seems to support this relationship even though she doesn't use the word "trust". Continue reading