Everything listed under: Listening

I was speaking at an annual retreat event, and over the course of 3 days in a beautiful lakeside setting we had conversations that turned inward to reflect on the nature of beliefs.On the last day one of the participants, a lean lady of many years with a lived in and delicate face said, “I hope I didn’t offend you with questions I asked on the first night.”I responded easily. “I don’t get offended,” I said, “I can listen to anything.”read more

The year is just half over and it’s been resplendent with lessons learned. Some of them came easily, most of them with a deeper challenge to slow down and savor a moment of awareness. These 10 are especially useful for me.  read more

Leadership doesn’t mean that you’re the boss. It means you can have a conversation from strength, be questioned about motives and intention, and without a doubt know that the buck stops with you. Leaders cultivate authority by being the example of straightforward conversations, and thinking through the consequences of the actions they take. read more

This past week I traveled to celebrate a rite of passage in a young cousin’s life. Family and friends gathered, stories were told, and questions were asked. Not just the polite, every day questions ... read more

Once upon a time I was walking down the streets of New York with my husband, Michael, and two friends, having a lively conversation about the benefits of anger; when one of them, a brilliant PhD in linguistics, told Michael you need to get more angry! Michael paused, thought a moment and said, “Maybe so, but everywhere I look I see the face of God.” His response evoked a stunned silence and we all stopped walking.  It was not lost on any of us how the world would transform through that simple statement. And then we broke into a group hug, and everyone knew we were from California. Read more