Karen’s Articles
Sweatshirt Creates Cold Chill
When I first saw this ad from H&M, the huge retailer, I thought, “What kind of diversity do they have on their marketing team?” What my colleague Tina and I know from our training as coaches and Tina’s certification as a Diversity Professional is that...
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall
There is only one person in the world you can control. And you know who that person is!! Go look in the mirror! And while you’re there, give yourself a thumbs up. It's not easy to bring your best self to work everyday -- but you do. OK... maybe not last Friday, but...
Here’s the Rub
It was winter break, and my son Jeffrey was ten years old. I was curled up on the couch with my computer and I let him in on a little secret: I was buying his dad, Bill, a massage table for his birthday in February. It was something Bill had coveted since we...
Want to be heard? Stop Talking.
You probably don't believe that silence is one of my favorite tools. Certainly when I taught a presentation skills class to Johns Hopkins graduate students, they did not expect me to talk about silence! But I did. And at the end of the week, their final...
Worksgiving
Thanksgiving has always been one of my very favorite holidays. I like the family time where we all sit around making suggestions about what we should do together. Usually nothing actually happens -- it’s so predictable that it is fun! I love the aromas and I am...
Rule Rethink
Is it time to reassess your office rules? When I was in my twenties I went to visit my girlfriend Anne at her parents' home on the Kilmarnock River. Once there, I found myself helping with their spring cleaning ritual, and a ritual it was! It included setting up...
The Bat on the Table
Sometimes, or is it all the time, we get so wrapped up in our own little world that we fail to grasp what’s going on around us. A few years ago, I rushed home after work to pick up my son for a chiropractic appointment. “Jeffrey, get in the car!” I bellowed. Since...
Multi-tasking is a Sham
“What are you doing?” my daughter asked as I fumbled around my dashboard. “I’m looking for the seat heater,” I replied. On the car I had owned for two years, I might add. She rolled her eyes (as only daughters can do) and effortlessly punched the button that had...
The Drama of Unintended Consequences
This is a story of killing with kindness. Well, there isn’t any actual murder involved, but you’ll see what I mean. About 30 years ago, when I was the director of training for a large national bank, I had the privilege of working with a kind, conscientious, and...
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