As many of you know, I’ve been (unsuccessfully) trying to become a decent tennis player, and now the moment has come when I know all hope is lost: My 12 year-old can play me under the table.

Despite this, I decided she and I would “team up” and play doubles against two friends of mine who are about our level. And, all was going well – until I messed up a few times. Well, this upset my daughter to the point that she mumbled, “I didn’t want you on my team in the first place.”…

Have you ever been part of a group that was clicking? Getting things done? Proud of its accomplishments?

What’s working for that group to be so engaged?

Engagement is definitely more than just enlisting followers or convincing people to join your cause.  You can tell if this has happened with a group. Participants are just there to see what everyone else is up to … not to be active, full time participants.

How do you invigorate engagement in…

Several years ago, I had the good fortune to work with a skilled facilitator at a strategic planning retreat for a local non-profit. I was her Vanna White, so I was able to sit back and observe.

The first thing agenda item with this group was a visioning exercise. And it was great fun.

My…

When we lived in Reno, (then) UNR quarterback Colin Kaepernick was all the rage – the man was an amazing athlete, and his personal story was just as compelling as his skill. Adopted at a young age to a couple who lost two sons to heart defects, he seemed humble and hard-working, kind and generous to fans.

Fast-forward a few years, and he’s now the starting QB for the San Francisco 49ers. Which seems like a storybook ending to his journey. Except, now, he’s in the news for an…

As a “glass half-full” kind of gal, I’d LIKE to think that we all have the instinct to resolve conflict. I’d like to believe we WANT to resolve conflict because that’s what’s best for society, our family, and our livelihood.

But, alas, I’m wrong.

At least, that’s according to Deborah Wilhelm, a counselor from Waukegan School District 60 in Chicago. John Flink from the Chicago Tribune wrote an article about Wilhelm and her work with schools in Chicago:

According…