I have used this little gem of a collaborative conversation tool daily for 25 years. Conversation focused on the other person is the grist for collaborating effectively. It helps you keep the conversation meaningful (focused on the other person). You ask the other person about their family or their friends you may know, what they …

Have you ever been on a project team and felt the ground rules included some of these phrases?I’ll try being nicer if you’ll try being smarter.Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business.I’m not …

Collaboration boils down to constant communication, resulting in greater trust. But this begs the question: what if your actual communication skills need improvement?  Here’s a helpful metaphor – according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, ‘English as a second language is quickly becoming a professionalized industry. There was a time when simply …

Creating new habits takes time, even when you know it is a good idea. A while back we bought a new Honda minivan that came with a “cool box” to keep items refrigerated when traveling. A year later, we noticed that we finally had the hang of intentionally using it during our trip to Canada …