“What makes listening hard is that sometimes we do not really care how the other person feels,” explains Burley-Allen, (1995) in Listening, the Forgotten Skill. “This usually happens when we ourselves don’t feel heard, or when we have too much to say. The key to...

After reading my December Blog,  Taking Time , my sister, Anne Collier called to tell me how much she appreciated the reminder to be relationship-based, as opposed to task-based, even at work. As a journalist, youth advocate and director of The Net Safety...

Sarah and Paul Krumsieg, co-owner-operators of Dr. Jazz Soda Fountain & Grill in Lebanon, Illinois, know all about taking time. In fact, it was 15 years ago at their Soda Fountain that they took the time to talk with my family and me during our first visit to...

When I sat down for coffee with Bob Bunch, Owner of Bunch on Biz, the first thing he inquired was, “Can I ask you a question?” I said sure, and noted how cool it was that he asked. He was surprised by my comment and after a slight hesitation, looked at me and probed,...

How Can Diversity Increase Sales? was a workshop I did last month for a real estate group. After the presentation one of the agents, Matt Kohler, who is also a dad, had a question. Matt asked, “How do I respond to my kids when they point out differences?” Good...

As events were unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri, my family and I were in France visiting family. We returned in time for school to start on Tuesday, August 12, 2014, four days after Michael Brown was killed. The following Saturday morning, August 16, I asked my middle...

In my blog, I work to recognize what unconscious thoughts and behaviors I have that keep me from really “seeing” a person. I wonder, “What reactions to characteristics such as skin color, gender, culture, and religious affiliation, keep me from seeing a person with...

So that kids can learn about diversity from their parents (rather than the media), below are conversation starters based on Disney’s Zootopia. My own kids and I developed these together.  Our story: Because movie theaters are so expensive for a big family, we...

Today I had lunch with a black colleague with whom I had done some educational consulting work earlier in the year. The company she worked for had recently let go of a fellow black colleague who expressed anger over racism in a small group. My friend was discouraged...

Kim and I met for coffee. We put our heads together. She wanted to sell her product within minority communities; I wanted to learn how to communicate my service. Her product helps adults learn how to get out of debt and manage money and offers churches and schools a...