Not too long ago I was at a Cornell event listening to a speaker open his presentation. In an attempt to build his credibility, he shared his title and the name of his employer. Then, before getting to the main point of his talk, he shared a long list of personal accomplishments. Somewhere between his fourth and seventh achievement, my impression of him changed from being somewhat impressed to being somewhat underwhelmed.  What happened? The presenter, hoping to impress, had

An agreement is communication that establishes expectations between two or more parties. Most agreements share foundational principles...

Earlier in my career, I worked with someone who responded to feedback with silence. After I finished sharing my thoughts, there was no visible reaction. No nod. No follow-up question. No verbal acknowledgment. We would simply move on. Over time, I noticed how my mind began assigning meaning to that silence. I had a judgment: This feedback clearly is not valued. I formed an opinion: This person probably does not want coaching at all. I even thoughts to myself: Do you want this

During my early childhood I learned the value of offering hospitality to others. When we hosted family from out of town, I helped prepare...