The Jaws-iversary

ore often than not, our fear doesn’t help us avoid the feelings; it simply subjects us to them for an agonizingly long time. We feel the suffering of procrastination, or the frustration of a stuck relationship. I know partnerships that drag along painfully for years because no one is willing to speak about the elephant in the room. Taking risks, an

When you’re asking people to go deeper, to share what they don’t usually share, you must manage the risk-taking you are encouraging. Sometimes that means prodding people to take more risk; other times, it means soothing people afraid of taking risk.

Think about the risks associated with a project gone wrong and how those risks are diminished when there are solid relationships to fall back on. When you take risks you: Act proactively to reduce ambiguity. Acknowledge uncomfortable situations out loud. Deliver hard news promptly and concisely. Take responsibility for mistakes. Are willing to expr

Doing even a small experiment is scary, but the payoff can be profound. When I hosted a group coaching session in New York, I was extremely nervous. I had never done anything like it before, but by the end of the night, I knew that bringing together curious people around questions I was excited to explore was something worth being uncomfortable for