
Exercise Radical Trust
An organizing principle for leading staff in this time of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty Over the last four weeks, you have probably experienced each stage of grief: shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Maybe all at once. Maybe all at ... read more

Should I stay or should I go?
What will public sector union members do when they have a choice? #janus #openshop #letsgetready You’re at your cousin’s wedding reception and you are having an okay time. The cake has been cut and a few people are dancing. Some people leave ... read more

Can Public Employee Unions Save the Labor Movement?
Imagine this: hundreds and even thousands of conversations happening all over the country. People in pairs, small groups, big halls. Whispers growing into chatters growing into a cacophony of excitement and possibility. Listen as the talk leads to action which ... read more

Unstoppable, joyous, exhausted
Bob Lawson b. 1944 in Midland, Texas In 1966, Bob went to Chicago to work with JOIN (originally an SDS community organizing project building a multi-racial movement of the poor) and organized a group called Uptown Goodfellows and later they started an organization in Chicago called Rising ... read more

Friedrichs Redux
The third in a series. See Time to Double Down and 4 Things Public Sector Unions Are Doing Among the many uncertainties there are about the new administration, there is one thing we can predict with confidence: Friedrichs redux. Public sector union leaders breathed ... read more

Toxic Employee Behaviors and What to Do About Them
Do you have a co-worker who brings down the morale of the team? Does your office sometimes feel like a battleground of "us" vs. "them"? Are you tired of trying to please people who fault everything you do? If you answered yes to ... read more

How to Win the Battle of Good Stress over Bad Stress
You know that feeling. You look at the time and suddenly realize you are late. You feel a rush of adrenaline and spring to action. What is happening in your body as you bolt forward is a stress response. Your brain perceives danger ... read more

Exit the Email Vortex: ten best practices
It was 6pm and the plane had just landed. The man next to me opened his phone and scrolled through his email. On one of them, he proceeded to type an angry reply, ending with "this is the best you ... read more

What the Tarot Card Reader Told Me
I sat down recently to have my cards read, doubtful that the young woman with a French accent could predict my future. She told me that the cards would help me with a challenge in my life. Then she said, “Depending ... read more

Annual Staff Evaluations Fail to Make the Grade
I don't usually turn to corporate America for what works in managing staff, but in this case, they might be on to something. As reported in the New York Times, Deloitte Consulting and the Wall Street Journal companies are moving away from traditional ... read more