Thinking Out Loud

On Thursday, November 20th, I’ll be at the Samoset Resort presenting a workshop at the Maine Bankers Association Emerging Leaders Conference.  The focus is on Building & Maintaining Client/Customer Relationships, using the communication tool that my son, Noah, and I developed, which was highlighted in an article in Fast Company (click here), May 23rd of this year.  It’s a very versatile tool and can be applied in numerous ways in the workplace.  In addition, it can be applied in your personal life, especially with regard to parenting.

I remember reading about self-actualization back in the 1960s when I was first aware that I needed to understand more about people and life—meaning me and how I was in the world!  Abraham Maslow, among others, wrote about self-actualization and the hierarchy of human needs. He outlined an adult developmental process, what was important at each stage, and what we are striving for in our self-development.

We all struggle to understand what our lives are about and what we should be striving for as we question our own happiness. Frequently, there is a new article in the popular media describing a new study about happiness: who is happy, when are they happiest, to what degree, and why? Much serious research is done on this topic, which gets linked to other concepts like resilience. The Positive Psychology movement is studying people who are doing well, whereas most psychological research is and has been focused on those not doing so well.  Read More

Juice 4.0–creative economy conference sponsored by Midcoast Magnet in Rockland, Maine.  They have great keynote speakers and performers. It’s always an inspiring event! To learn more about this event, click here.

I’ll also be presenting a workshop: Discover Your Communication Style–Gateway to building successful relationships in the workplace. This is the third time I’ve been invited to be a presenter at the conference.  Each time, the participants have been engaged, enthusiastic and a pleasure to work with.

The Communication Styles Framework is an ideal team development tool. It draws out the natural talents of team members, giving them a straightforward way to identify those talents and immediately make use of them in a collaborative environment.

Fast Company published my article this past week (click here) outlining the CS Framework, incorporating the communication styles inventory (which is research supported: CCI-R), and demonstrating the practical use for team members.

When I’m working with a team (project, management, or department), the CS Framework forms a foundation for not only drawing out the natural talents of the participants, but it helps with interpersonal problem-solving, planning for presentations, aligning leadership and communication styles, and guiding professional development conversations.

Unlike some other team-building approaches, the CS model is tied directly to the immediate project/task/goal of the team.  Because of this, there is strong reinforcement of new learning and the collaborative process that evolves remains durable.