1: The Cleveland Clinic is a globally renowned academic medical center headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. It self-insures over 100,000 team members and their dependents,

In 2008, under the leadership of Chief Wellness Officer Dr. Mike Roizen, the clinic began working to help team members get healthier while reducing both personal and organizational medical costs. Mike, Peter Linneman, and Albert Ratner describe this journey in their book The Great … continue reading

1: Why pay attention to the stories you are telling yourself?

And why devote the time, effort, and energy to change these stories?

It’s not going to be easy, Crucial Conversations authors Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory warn us.

There are two reasons you may want to change the stories you are telling yourself:

Reason #1: Bad results.

Maybe you … continue reading

1: Author Joseph Grenny had been married for just a few years when his travel schedule became hectic.
He and his wife, Celia, had two young toddlers, and she served as the sole parent when Joseph was on the road.
One evening, he arrived home from a long trip, Joseph and his co-authors write in their classic book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.
“Celia was … continue reading

“Nothing in this world is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” —William Shakespeare
1: “Even if you don’t realize it, you are telling yourself stories,” Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory write in their classic book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.
Even right now. Even as you are reading this.
Yesterday, we looked … continue reading

1: Maria is mad because her co-worker Louis took over the presentation to their boss.

They had worked on the presentation together and had agreed they would each present different parts.

But once the meeting started, that’s not what happened.

“She’s feeling hurt but is worried that if she says something to Louis, she’ll look too emotional,” Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and … continue reading

1: Interested in learning the secrets of life?

Searching for pure truth?

Would you like to fill your soul “with an understanding of love that knows no boundaries?” Diane Button asks in her book  What Matters Most: Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living.

Answers to these questions can come from spending time with those near death.

As an end-of-life doula, Diane spends many hours with people in their … continue reading

1: Maria is mad.

She’s a copywriter at a mid-sized company.  She and her co-worker Louis just reviewed the latest draft of a proposal with their boss.

“During the meeting, they were supposed to be jointly presenting their ideas,” Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory write in their classic book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.

“But … continue reading

1: It’s called the “Fools’ Choice.”

“Kevin, his peers, and their boss were deciding on a new location for their offices—would they move across town, across the state, or across the country?”  Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory in their classic book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.

Two of the company’s leaders presented their case for … continue reading

1: You know when the other guy is overstating his point.

You feel it when someone shuts down and stops participating in the conversation.

You sense when someone tightens their jaw and begins pointing their finger.

What do you fail to notice?

“Your eye roll. Your head shake. Your sneer,” Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory in their classic book Crucial … continue reading

1: Greta is two hours into an intense meeting with her top 200 leaders.

She is the CEO of a mid-sized company, and for the past 6 months, she’s been pushing to reduce costs.

The problem? Little has been accomplished to date.

“Surely people will tell her why they haven’t started cutting costs. After all, she has taken great pains to foster candor,” write Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, … continue reading