The Rashomon Effect and Conflict

The Rashomon Effect and Conflict

What is the Rashomon Effect? And how can it help with Conflict? In my twenties, I got hooked on old Japanese Samurai movies and watched many cinema classics. The one that made the biggest impression, so that it haunted me decades later, was called Rashomon. Rashomon...
Love Yourself and Don’t Be a Jerk

Love Yourself and Don’t Be a Jerk

Love yourself and don’t be a jerk is good advice for any conflict. Why? While I want my clients to see their contribution, to own their part in any problematic situation, self-blame doesn’t help you do this in any effective way. It actually makes you more likely to be...
Is Conflict Transformation a Hero’s Journey?

Is Conflict Transformation a Hero’s Journey?

Is conflict transformation a Hero’s Journey? Last week I attended a beautiful workshop on the Hero’s Journey, offered by Stella Orange and Rebecca Liston of Las Peregrinas. Their approach is based in part on Joseph Campbell’s, and they apply it primarily to business...
Reflections: Your Year with Conflict and Courage

Reflections: Your Year with Conflict and Courage

Reflections: How did you do this year with conflict and courage? I’ve been reflecting on the year and the courage my clients and I have shown in dealing with conflict, inner and outer. As those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know, I write a lot about...
The HIghly Sensitive Person at Work

The HIghly Sensitive Person at Work

The highly sensitive person I am a highly sensitive person (HSP), one of the estimated 20% of humans on the planet who are HSP. It can be both a gift and a curse and is often misunderstood by loved ones and people at work and even by ourselves. What makes someone a...
Blamespeak and Conflict

Blamespeak and Conflict

Are you using blamespeak in difficult conversations? I heard someone use the term “blamespeak” recently and thought it was a very evocative succinct way to express what happens in many conflicts. Something goes wrong in communication, people feel attacked or...
Turn Your Mistakes into Stories

Turn Your Mistakes into Stories

How did you learn to turn your mistakes into stories? This was the thoughtful question Alesia Grace Thompson asked me during my interview on the Mediate.com Great Reads Book Club. Alesia was referring to my memoir, Angels & Earthworms. This was a very rich...
Dealing with Toxic Co-Workers or Bosses

Dealing with Toxic Co-Workers or Bosses

Toxic co-workers or bosses can create big problems at work. As a workplace conflict transformation consultant, coach, and trainer, I have assisted many of my individual and organizational conflict clients who have had issues with toxic people in their workplaces. What...
What is Conflict Transformation?

What is Conflict Transformation?

I heard the term conflict transformation for the first time a few months ago, in a small committee meeting connected to my professional organization. I was completely captivated—I knew it was a better term for what I do and how I approach conflict than any I had heard...