the long-short way, and the short-long way

Many times I’ve attempted to take a shortcut, and the project, or the route I was taking, ended up taking longer. I’ve noticed the high cost of this approach especially in interpersonal situations. We avoid a conversation because we don’t want conflict, but the avoidance -or the shortcut- ends up costing more in time, energy, […]

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Death by meeting

What are we trying to accomplish? How much time do we have in which to accomplish it? If these two questions were asked at the beginning of every meeting, we’d save ourselves gazillions of hours of frustration, disappointment, and unproductive meeting time. […]

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Learning is never what one expects

“When a man starts to learn he is never clear about his objectives. His purpose is faulty; his intent vague. He hopes for rewards that will never materialize, for he knows nothing of the hardships of learning. He slowly begins to learn–bit by bit, and then in big chunks and his thoughts soon clash. What […]

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Heaven and Hell

Years ago I trained in Aikido. Aikido is a martial art that is not based on kicking someone’s butt. Rather it is based on the ability to neutralize an attack in a way that preserves the integrity of both parties. The parallels between Aikido and Marshall Rosenberg’s process Nonviolent Communication (NVC) are rich, deep, and […]

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