Jeff Saari
Positive and Negative Thinking

There are many people out there that think positive thinking is the holy grail.  There's nothing wrong with that per se, but we can't live up to the ideal of not thinking negatively can we?  We all have negative thoughts, judgments, and feelings from time to time; some more than others....

Positive and Negative Thinking
Jeff Saari
Taking Calculated Risks

Recently I was able to do something that I have never done before:  speak to 1200 people over 2 days up on the big stage.  I was asked to speak to the incoming new students about managing anxiety at Keene State College.  The experience and collaboration with the student affairs folks was truly amazing, totally went ...

Taking Calculated Risks
Jeff Saari
The Economy of Emotions

I have been hearing lately in many places this notion of the economy of motion, that is making each movement as efficient as possible.  So if you are weight lifting for instance, or running, you don't want to waste energy in inefficient body movements.  Not only do you not get the benefit of the gains you want,...

The Economy of Emotions
Jeff Saari
Take a calculated pause like this manager ...

I am supporting a manager in a company currently who was on the rocks with his team.  He was even on the track to be fired until I was called in to facilitate a transformation in his leadership.  Now before I make it all about me, I tell you it takes two to make a transformation happen:  my support...

Take a calculated pause like this manager does...
Jeff Saari
Your Manager Should be Doing This...

In a recent session with a middle manager we struck something pretty profound.  Now I get paid to listen to people, help them see their motivations, goals, and then support them to get what they want.  In this particular case I had gotten some feedback from his team that at times he can be defensive and talk...

Your Manager Should be Doing This...

The End of Self-Abuse

The End of Self-Abuse

We all have moments where we beat ourselves up. We make mistakes and do or say things we shouldn’t have done or didn’t really want to do. This can lead us to be hard on ourselves, to be judgmental internally. We say things like “I am a terrible person” or “I can’t believe I did that again!” Such internal conversations come from a lifetime of ideals and values that we have for ourselves, either ones we develop or that others instilled into us early on. Self-flagellation creates a negativity within us that is stressful, and under duress stress hormones wreak havoc with our bodies and minds....

The Anatomy of Organizational Culture Development

The Anatomy of Organizational Culture Development

In a recent effort to understand and document what I do with organizations to develop the ‘people’ side of things, I came up with 8 concepts that any organization could follow, sort of like a template. A leader (CEO, CFO, middle manager) can use these themes to deepen the buy-in of their supervisees and bolster collaboration and thus innovation. As people deal with their stressors and increase their communication skills negative team behaviors begin to decrease. As the dial of negativity (avoidance, sarcasm, aggression) gets turned down, the dial of learning, optimism, focus on results and strengths gets turned up. People begin to relate to each other more empathically and a flat organization is created, one that sees each other as equals fulfilling the mission and vision of the organization....

Culture Work Gardening Analogy

I recently worked with a non-profit Board and staff to resolve conflict from an extenuating negative situation. Because this organization has to do with nature programming and education I used a metaphor of ‘Growing Forward’ as the title of my joint meeting with them. I wanted to help each side of the proverbial fence see that their growth as an individual and overall culture was akin to a garden. I worked independently with the Board and staff groups first to set the stage for this all-hands meeting.

8 Tips for Building Trust

Mutual trust is a shared belief that we can depend on each other to achieve a common purpose. Most management gurus articulate that trust is the most foundational thing that you can do to build a relationship, build a team, or build a company. Here are 8 tips to create or enhance trust in your unique world:...

Intention and Impact

When was the last time you asked yourself how you impact other people (spouse, boss, co-worker, children, etc.)? I find that most of us have honest and wholesome intentions in terms of our behavior towards others. We don’t usually wake up and say “I can’t wait to impact people negatively today”. This is a beautiful part of our humanity, to have and uphold values of care, understanding, support, etc. And it is nice when the impact matches our positive intentions; all is right in the world....

The Folly of Defensiveness

When was the last time you got defensive in the face of information about YOU that you didn’t want to hear? We all know what this feels like: an attack on the very fabric of who we think we are or what we stand for. Becoming defensive is a strategy we take to take the heat off owning up to something not so pretty about ourselves. This largely happens outside our conscious choice and we become victims of the circumstance at hand. Question though: Why would we ever have to feel defensive?...