Karen’s Articles
Pause and Reflect: It’s Labor Day
As the pandemic has made all of us reflect and re-evaluate many aspects of our lives, I started to think more about our relationship to work. On a recent trip to Asheville, NC, I saw many help wanted signs. The service industry is desperate for employees, but they are...
Are You Undergoing Kidney Surgery?
I just got off a video call with a potential client. They were consulting with me about their back-to-the-office strategy and were having problems with their vacation policy. The organization was returning to the office after over a year of remote work, and during...
Mission Burrito
Years ago when I was on a tour in the Mission District of San Francisco, we stopped to eat burritos. We were told that we were eating the famous Mission burritos. None of us had heard of them. Incredulous that we had not heard of the Alameda-Weehawken Burrito Tunnel,...
Voltaire and Appreciation
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." - Voltaire I have been sharing a series of blogs on the importance of gratitude in our personal and professional lives, and on the benefits of routinely recognizing the...
Ask a Stupid Question
I attended the National Speakers Association Conference last week and as always, I learned so much. Here is one of my favorite quotes from the conference that I would like to share with you. The quality of the answer is dependent on the the quality of question. —...
It’s Only a Policy if It’s Enforced
Recently I met with leaders who were trying to develop a return to office policy. They decided on a blended approach, having everyone come into the office two days a week and work from home the other three. As we discussed the enforcement of the policy, we started...
What Would You Do?
In order to create a respectful and inclusive culture, organizations need to provide regular diversity, equity, and inclusion training. But once you have had that basic training, how can you mix it up and make it relevant year after year? At Concordia Consulting, we...
No One Listens to Me!
I was an undergrad at the University of Virginia when a classmate said, “It’s so rude to interrupt.” What? I had never heard that before. I truly had made it to college without being taught that interrupting was rude. My mother tells the story of an ordinary evening...
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