I expected a peaceful hike in the forest.  While that was mostly what I got - I also witnessed a pretty interesting conflict, which ended with a young school teacher in tears and a politician creating a defensive wall. I enjoy studying conflict as it is my field of...

“I have too many resources!” said no one, ever. In fact, my leadership survey revealed that resource strain is the #2 drag on forward momentum for most teams. Interestingly, the origin of the word resource holds the key to a solution. At its root, resource means “rise...

Those of you who have experienced Spiral Impact know I am a long time student of the martial art, aikido. Spiral Impact, a collaboration/conflict resolution method, is grounded in aikido principles. Fequentlly I am asked, “Have you ever had to use your martial skills...

I love the Olympics. What a great time to turn our attention to elite performance and the World coming together for good! Flawlessly adjusting to rapidly changing circumstances is the hallmark of champions. Athletic performance is an in-your-face visual representation...

“Anyone who is so certain has got to be wrong,” my daughter’s father said upon her birth. You see, I was certain she was going to be a boy. In my mind I had collected enough evidence that to me at the time made it certain. “Certainty” by definition means without...

Click the image below to listen [vimeo]https://vimeo.com/246271410[/vimeo] It can be tricky - innovation and leading edge performance require both conflict and alignment. In The Innovation Code, Jeff DeGraff states, “…it’s our impulse to resolve or eliminate conflict,...

Those of you who’ve read my writing over time know I am gardener.  This fall, as I was cleaning out my flowerbeds, I decided to harvest the seeds from my beautiful marigolds.  I did this as a kid.  I loved the cycle of flowers dying to produce seeds for the next year....

I hosted a houseguest from Ukraine. Yuti was young and loved camping. As he passed through on his cross-country trips he’d stay here to regroup. Each time he arrived he’d tote in his pot filled with an ongoing version of his oxtail soup. He was generous with his...

I throw a punch at my opponent; suddenly I am on the ground, immediately I spiral up to my feet to go for it again. After 27 years of Aikido practice it still sometimes surprises me how a group of people, many over 40, can pummel each other, do literal rolls in the...