Karen’s Articles
Fruit Loops
I still remember the first time I noticed fall. I must have been four or five years old. I was with my family driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and I, through some miracle (or, more likely, maternal intervention), was sitting by the door, nose pressed against...
Make Lemonade
Julie and I went to college together. When others saw lemons, Julie made lemonade. It's not that Julie had fewer challenges than the rest of us, It's that Julie wrote the book on turning challenges into opportunities. These days, Julie and I don't talk as often as...
Rose-Colored Glasses
Last week I was training a group of managers in coaching and feedback skills. We were talking about - rather, I was talking about - how they could use these skills to manage poor performance. They weren't listening. Instead, they were saying things like: "You just...
Are You Using the Right Signs?
One warm weekend this spring, we went to the beach. My four-year-old daughter and I walked down the boardwalk. We passed a new shop glowing with fresh white paint. Vibrant red geraniums sat on windowsills framed in blue gingham curtains. Through the doorway I could...
Workmates, Teammates, Playmates
It happened again last week. An exhilarating, fulfilling, exciting day as facilitator of an effective work group. That's twice this month I've been able to help an already highly functional team hone their interdependence, communication, and appreciation. And it...
Beginnings
Sometimes it's hard for me to start things. Like this newsletter. First, I wanted to find just the right focus. Then I was worried about format. Would your company consider this to be spam? Would you? (That's why we made it SO easy for you to go to the bottom and take...
Teach Your Kids to Ask for the Ketchup
Driving on a long car trip with my adult son Josh is always a pleasure. Josh's myriad of interests coupled with his loquaciousness makes for a pleasant journey. Travelling on Interstate 81, we were discussing pollution, global warming, poverty and the gravitational...
How a Spider Taught Me to be More Sensitive
Yesterday, I conducted a "Positive Workplace" program for a large organization. I know what you might be thinking: either "Ugh, another one of those programs" or "Isn't it enough that I work 50 hours a week? Do I have to be nice and 'positive' as well?" I suspect the...
Drinking and Driving in Cubicles
I was driving my daughter Katie when she was about six years old. Along the way -- with a facial expression that communicated "I am very upset" -- she exclaimed, "Why are you drinking that?" It was true that in the afternoons, when I was feeling exhausted, I sometimes...
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