by Larry Dressler | Jun 15, 2021 | From My Bookshelf
The old saying, “seeing is believing” doesn’t really describe how we operate as humans. If you’ve spent any time with me in a workshop, you’ve probably heard me tell a favorite story that challenges this conventional wisdom. There’s this elderly couple. The wife Ethel...
by Larry Dressler | May 27, 2021 | On My Mind
If you look at the typical resume, 80% of the document’s “real estate” is occupied by a section titled EXPERIENCE, in which job candidates describe their past employers, positions held, and length of service. There’s a reason for this – most employers place a great...
by Larry Dressler | May 13, 2021 | On My Mind
In a blog about “post-traumatic growth,” I explored how our most painful life events can positively shape us as people and leaders. Healing from trauma requires that we see ourselves as capable of growing – even transforming — during the course of our adult...
by Larry Dressler | Apr 29, 2021 | On My Mind
“In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning.” —Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning I’ve always been interested in self-repair – the ways in which we put ourselves back together after things fall apart. Over the last...
by Larry Dressler | Apr 21, 2021 | In My Tool Bag
When teams need to talk about big ideas, complex challenges, or emotions, it can be hard to know where to start. In these cases, words can be inadequate means for getting a team to talk. Among the tools in my travel satchel are markers, post-its, and tape and, also a...
by Larry Dressler | Mar 22, 2021 | In My Ear Buds
One year into the pandemic, it’s a certified fact that the way we work is changing — dramatically. Some of the most notable changes include the growth of remote work, globalization of distributed teams, flatter structures, more focus on gender and racial equity,...
by Larry Dressler | Mar 11, 2021 | On My Mind
Imagine your team is a living organism — one whose health relies on a network of pathways that carry all the necessary nutrients to its various parts. Now imagine that the lifeblood of your team is made up of requests and promises. Think about this for a moment: There...
by Larry Dressler | Feb 26, 2021 | In My Tool Bag
In the world of gymnastics, the dismount is the last thing a judge sees before determining an athlete’s score. When an athlete concludes their routine with perfection commentators often say that they “stuck the landing!” Too often, leaders bring people together to...
by Larry Dressler | Feb 18, 2021 | On My Mind
Years of research show that top-down declarations and being “talked at” demotivates people, discourages the expression of diverse perspectives, and stalls organizational learning and change efforts. This leaves me puzzled when, at least a few times a week, I receive...
by Larry Dressler | Feb 3, 2021 | On My Mind
Recently a client asked me, “what are the three things that matter most when it comes to creating a high-performance team?” Coming up with just three things was a formidable challenge. I can name ten. But three… After giving her question some thought, here’s what I...
