The jackal is the attack chair. When we are feeling attacked we attack.It's can be difficult to remember that meaning resides with the listener. After all, we know what we mean---why don't they? If you are trying to motivate, get information or move a project along...

When we choose to sit in the Hedgehog chair we are still attacking and blaming, however in the case of the Hedgehog we are blaming ourselves, adopting victim status. It's all about me, and how stupid, dumb, incompetent, worthless I am. The payoff is generally...

Moving to the Meerkat chair we discover how the meerkat can be one of our best friends! Pause. Breathe deeply and consider, What am I thinking? What am I telling myself? Take a moment and consider, what if the opposite of what I am thinking is actually the truth. Our...

Marshall Rosenberg says an uncomfortable feeling is a symptom of an unmet need. The dolphin chair requires we take the time to examine what we really want so that we can express our needs without aggression. Our communication goal here is to be assertive, clear and...

Once we are clear what we want from our communication it's time to move into the Giraffe chair and consider what the other person wants. If you are a human being person you are likely to be looking for connection, respect, trust, appreciation, and recognition. If your...

People Do People Things. Having Feelings is a People Thing Although we try to pretend otherwise, feelings are part of life. Becoming aware of what we are feeling and learning how to manage the expression of our feelings is part of a thinking person's evolution. In...

The Western World has been successful in enculturating a value system that places heavy emphasis on performing, producing, competing, and consuming. The use of the internet has further impacted these tendencies placing outsized importance on those same values. When we...

According to Michigan State University Extension's Stress Less with Mindfulness program, a person has between 70-80,000 thoughts a day. 90 percent of these thoughts are ones we have had before, and 80 percent of these are negative. So there we sit at work. Innocently...

VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. First used by the military to describe the diplomatic and strategic landscape in the post-WWII climate, businesses began adopting the phrase after the 2008 banking crisis. Volatility, uncertainty,...

We all have some measure of emotional baggage. When we learn to view our "baggage handlers" with compassion, as loveable reminders of the past we can outgrow the impact they have on our present life. 

When we interact with others at work or at home it is important to understand that others can trigger our feelings, however, each and every one of us is responsible to manage how we are feeling. For example, if we get a deep tissue Sweedish massage and the next day we...