by Lorraine Segal | Aug 20, 2017
How can you have a civil conversation with people you think are absolutely wrong, even evil? Is it even possible to talk to “impossible” people when you seriously disagree about politics or religion, or when you are angry at workplace differences and seeming...
by Lorraine Segal | Jul 17, 2017
So many conflicts at work and everywhere expand and linger because people believe there is only one right answer or one way to see or do things. If instead of seeing the world in narrow extremes of right/wrong either/or etc., you can shift to yes/and,...
by Lorraine Segal | Jun 18, 2017
Divine Listening. I heard the term divine listening recently and thought it applied really well to managing conflict. Beyond compassionate listening or listening to understand, divine listening incorporates even more. To me it means listening as if you are...
by Lorraine Segal | May 14, 2017
On Being Bullied—reflections, lessons, and gratitude 8 years later The end of being bullied On June 2nd, 2009, I drove away for the last time from the toxic workplace where I had been repeatedly bullied and mobbed. I’ve been reflecting recently about this life...
by Lorraine Segal | Apr 13, 2017
A wonderful benefit of learning conflict resolution skills is using them to positively reframe my own challenging communications. In difficult interactions, we often have a choice between accusing and getting information, between being self righteous or solving...
by Lorraine Segal | Mar 18, 2017
In the classic folk tale, the Sun and the Wind each believe they are more powerful. They attempt to prove it by betting that they will be able to make a man take off his coat. First, the Wind blows harder and harder. But the more strongly the wind blows, the more...
by Lorraine Segal | Feb 20, 2017
The desire to be right is deeply seductive and understandable, but it can cause a lot of problems at work. If you’re feeling criticized, challenged or accused, it is immensely tempting to defend yourself and attempt to prove you are right. Unfortunately, this is...
by Lorraine Segal | Jan 16, 2017
I wrote a blog post a while ago about entering into the Zen of the Gym. Rather than trying to micromanage and control when I got to use the weight machines or a bench, I decided to “enter into the flow, the energetic river, moving from one machine to another, and if...
by Lorraine Segal | Dec 19, 2016
When you feel like you’ve been wronged or treated unfairly at work it’s very natural to have resentments and perhaps a desire for revenge. Feeling the anger and the injustice, rather than just stuffing it down can be helpful to a point, but, if you get...
by Lorraine Segal | Nov 11, 2016
In the face of tragedy and loss. When experiencing tragedy, shock, loss, and fear, words of reassurance and love are definitely important. But sometimes in the face of powerlessness and deep grief, touch offers the most comfort. I read an article recently in the...
