Courageous Conversations

"Don't wait for a catastrophe"

How do you effectively and respectively discuss money?

In this conversation I spoke with Stephen Kozuch of Kaufmann-Kozuch Associates on his methods to make people feel comfortable enough to trust him to share their financial goals and dreams.(14:50)

Lessons Learned:

• Don't wait for a catastrophe - Avoid the pain threshold
• Ask questions - Make sure you feel knowledgeable
• Do it scared - Comfort comes after the conversation begins
• Create a plan - Know where you are headed
• Multiple conversations - Continue to check-in

Click here to download as an MP3

Download Stephen's Lessons

Download Stephen's article: "Planning is Key to Your Financial Future"

"Do you think we will be next?"

After the latest round of layoffs Steve and Sasha survived - again. Over lunch Steve looks to Sasha for reassurance. Sasha is nervous and uncertain herself. She doesn't want to add more fuel to the fire and end up in a mutual panic attack. (14:30)

Click here to download as an MP3

Lessons Learned:

• Be Realistic - Focus on the things in your control.
• Be Personal - Share your own feelings and insights
• Ask Questions - Rather than make statements.
• Create a Plan - Action steps that are manageable.

Download Lessons Learned

"There are no exceptions"

We all know that we should get feedback on our job performance - both on what we do and how we do it.

Today’s lessons are from a conversation with a senior HR leader for a global medical device organization. What started as a situation of spending a lot of time and resources on an effort to manage her, it became a series of conversations on a well-known, unspoken secret of a development opportunity.

Take a listen as Joellyn talks about all the effort that went into "managing" her, rather than the simple, direct statement that should have been stated. (15:00)

Lessons Learned:

• There are no exceptions - The hierarchy exists.
• Be in the moment - What's happening right now?
• Be direct - Why is this conversation so different?
• Be a peer - You have been in the same spot.
• Multiple conversations - Take the risk to raise it again.

Click here to download as an MP3

Download Joellyn's Lessons

Resilience Through Hardiness: A Learned Behavior

Resilience is the ability to "bounce back." Hardiness is a pattern of attitudes and skills that helps people be resilient

I spoke with Jim Oher of Oher & Associates about the 30 years of research into how we build our capacity to be Hardy and Resilient, especially in these turbulent and uncertain times.

Take a listen as Jim defines Resilience, Hardiness and how it can help us manage 3 times better and live nearly 8 years longer. (14:50)

Click here to download as an MP3

Download the handouts and follow along.

Check out and participate in Jim's Blog: The Hardlines

And this one page description of Resilience and Hardiness

Send Jim an email to learn more.