An Adoption Story of Thanks
Last week we had the opportunity to lead a socially distanced live training in the beautiful city of Nashville, TN. Honestly, it was great to be interacting in a live setting once again. On our first day of training, I had the opportunity to have lunch and dinner with some of our client team members. […]
Social Isolation and Loneliness- The Power of Connection
A few days ago, I talked to a client, and we discussed the frenzying pace of… the fourth quarter the election COVID-19 working from home kids at school the holiday season with family and friends In all of our lives, there is a crazy contrast between chaos and isolation. I was reminded of the Stockdale […]
Hot Questions and Hot Wings
After reading the title of this blog, you may be asking yourself a great question. “When I think of myself as a professional communicator, what does this topic have to do with anything?” Well, let me tell you. In my years of practical experience, academics, and consulting at Braintrust, my observation is that the concept […]
Walk the Talk
When someone says “Walk the Talk”, what does that mean to you? For most individuals, it means backing your words with the action to accomplish whatever the goal/task you said you’d hit. However, many of us have opened our mouths, talked a mean game, and never finished what we said we were going to. So, […]
Blocking The Noise
Finally, last week our family excitedly drove our son back to college at “The” Indiana University in beautiful Bloomington, IN. We were thrilled that he got the opportunity to return to some piece of normalcy to hopefully enjoy his final year. To move him back in, we decided to load up his Jeep and rent […]
“Is All Feedback Relevant?”
A beloved mentor of mine once asked me, “Franc, is all feedback relevant?”. My initial answer was “I think some is and some isn’t”. He then challenged me on my answer… “Why is some feedback not relevant?” he asked. “Some feedback is not always given with full context or might not be right” I answered. […]
Active Listening vs. Hearing – Do you know the difference?
Does the title of this blog capture your attention? There is no doubt that this is a tough one for me. In the essence of humility, I have often struggled with the difference between listening and hearing. People have asked me the question, “Are you a good listener?” and I would answer yes even though […]
A Janitor and The Class Reunion
If you could… would you go back to high school? I’m not sure of your experience, but I wouldn’t go back even though I enjoyed those formative years. Fortunately, there is the historical tradition of a class reunion that allows all of us to see old friends, tell stories, and reminisce about the good, the […]
Emotional Contagion
As we have lived through the last three months, all of us have been impacted by emotionally charged messages. From the words and warnings of our leaders forcing us into isolation, to the stories of resolution and bravery from our first responders. Over this past weekend, news stories from around the country have demonstrated how […]
Virtual Pictures
Here we are closing in on the end of May, and many of us have been at home hosting or sitting on virtual calls at an unprecedented pace. I went back and looked at my calendar over the past four weeks, and I have either hosted or sat on the following technology platforms: Zoom, Microsoft […]
