Be an Active Listener How can we listen to build community? Active listening is a tough thing to do.  We have to speak less, eliminate distractions, and get beyond the small talk. We have to avoid giving advice unless asked.  We have to repeat to clarify and follow up with someone after a conversation.  It’s […]

Be an Encouraging Developer How can we develop others to create community? Develop those around you by cheerleading, complimenting, challenging, and displaying gratitude. Sometimes, we simply forget to point out what people are doing well.  If we maintain a culture of “catching people doing something right” and pointing it out, it will have a ripple […]

Be a Thoughtful Connector How can we connect others to build community? We have to be unselfish and put others before us.  At every opportunity we should introduce people to one another; it will strengthen and build upon our communities.  We should invite folks to different settings and situations with different people, especially when someone […]

Can we intentionally build community? Google community and you will find article after article, study after study, meme after meme on the topic – about 4.4 billion hits.  There are countless thoughts, scholarly publications, and opinions on it.  It elicits frequent conversation and copious amounts of research.  The want and need for it is a […]

Want crisper lettuce?  Cool…stay with me here. We’ve all been there.  You’re sitting in the middle of a tense situation and are quickly approaching a decision point.  Your pulse picks up (whether you realize it or not) and you start thinking through your options as fast as you can so you’re prepared when the crossroads […]

Career goals and 5- or 10-year plans are important to your development, but often times young professionals box themselves in too tightly based on plans they have before launching their careers. One of the beautiful things about the beginning of your career is the ability to occupy many different roles quickly to gain exposure to […]

  One of my favorite parts of high school was our lunch and “flex”, think recess for high schoolers. My friends and I would sit at the same table, in the same spots, everyday. Discussions ranged from our current crushes (about 80% of the conversation) to our latest athletic accomplishment, and how it was unequivocally […]

You never know which relationships will support you later in life and in your career.

  Often time’s people use their experiences to instruct others on common mistakes or missteps that they have made. Sometimes you will think that you are doing others a favor by not letting them make the same mistakes or fall into the same traps. This isn’t always well received. Sometimes when trying to teach younger […]

From the onset of my professional career, I was always looking for the corporate, stable job. I worked at a 1,000+ employee business to begin my career and then a company that had been in business for 50+ years. Both seemed to have good track records, obviously. I learned a lot at both of these […]