Words and Phrases that Transform Conversations III
“I know…” Words matter. They really, really, really do. Yet, we often toss around words and phrases that convey something unintended without considering the impact of those words and phrases. Take the frequently overlooked example, “I know”, as in “I know you didn’t mean anything negative by it…” “I know”…
Spring Cleaning for our Minds
I never liked Spring cleaning. To me, it always represented a weekend of heavy chores and time away from relaxation and fun. But this year, cleaning feels necessary. As the pandemic forced many people indoors, we converted our living spaces to workspaces and stayed home more than ever before. Now,…
Today Will Be Awesome!
From our Managing Director, Tara Taylor… When I first learned to mediate, I felt like there were so many “not to dos”. Things I was not supposed to say or do, in an effort to maintain my neutrality, to avoid making judgements, and to allow self-determination for the parties. In…
The Insecure Leader: Shifting from Isolation to Collaboration
Leaders carry a lot of responsibility. They are at once the high performer, the innovator, the visionary, the collaborator, the coalition builder, and countless other roles that get heaped on the shoulders of organizational leaders. Leaders juggle their many roles while aiming to satisfy and put on a good face…
Hacking Your Workday
The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to re-set an old pattern, practice or usual way of doing things that might be holding you back from your best work. In fact, studies show that just mentally allowing yourself to start something with a clean slate mindset can…
The Right Way to Apologize
When I was growing up, I never liked it when my grandmother forced me to apologize for something, I’d done to aggravate my younger sister. In fact, most of the time, I just grumbled a quick “I’m sorry” just so my grandmother would leave me alone and let me get…
2020 Year End Review
Did you know that over 90% of ADR Vantage’s client projects were conducted virtually this year? Our team has been conducting online mediations, facilitation, and training for years, and our full-time staff has been operating as a remote team since 2019, but this year was quite different. 2020 marks a…
New FBI Report Highlights Disturbing Statistics: Tips to Help You Stay on the Path of Inclusion
The FBI recently released its annual hate crimes report, showing that “bias-motivated crimes based on race, religion, disability and gender remain at troublingly high levels.” The Human Rights Campaign signaled increased attention to the report of hate crime numbers based on sexual orientation that represent almost 17% of all hate…
How to Turn Differing Perspectives into Your Team’s Advantage
As more and more organizations look to enhance their current Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, the concept of “psychological safety” is a renewed area of focus. Widely considered to be the “Father of Employee Engagement”, Professor and researcher Daniel Kahn discussed the concept of psychological safety in the workplace…
3 Tips to Help You & Your Organization Manage Conflict Right Now
70% of workers claim that right now is the most stressful time of their entire professional careers. A global pandemic, working from home, virtual classrooms, and an uncertain economy are all contributing factors to these high levels of stress. Higher stress levels combined with social distancing and remote communications can…