by Christi Barrett | Conflict, Mindfulness
When the you-know-what hits the fan, and I’m in unexpected conflict, I often don’t respond in the best way possible. It’s far too easy for me to be thrown off guard and give off angry or defensive signals. All the while, my internal monologue is...
by Christi Barrett | Supervision
Samantha loves her job. She enjoys interacting with customers and meeting their needs. She does a great job when the issues and their answers are clear. But Samantha struggles when something unexpected happens and she needs to think on her feet. She can follow an...
by Christi Barrett | Leadership
This content was originally posted on May 3, 2010, but we couldn’t resist sharing it again. Nothing beats Mom when it comes to sage advice. That MBA degree is dandy, but the lessons learned can’t hold a candle to Mom’s (or Dad’s or Gram’s) wisdom. A recent poll...
by Christi Barrett | Communication, Conflict
My colleague, Karen Weideman, recounted a story of a situation her 89-year old mother, Betty, faces on a regular basis. Betty is a great pianist and plays regularly at her retirement facility. Her mature audience loves that she can play anything they can call out...
by Christi Barrett | Interdependence, Teamwork
“Marketing is a pain in my butt,” laments operations director Stephan on a regular basis. Such cross-functional bashing is, unfortunately, not uncommon. One HBR author has stated that 75% of all cross-functional teams are dysfunctional. Many people find...
