Posts by Karen Jones

There seems to be a trend in business and leadership development books to provide information through fables and stories.  I get that research supports the advantages, in terms of engagement and understanding, of storytelling.  But I tend to prefer a more straight forward approach.  If I want a great stories, I’ve got Dickens, Austen, Tolkien…

Earlier this week I learned that ICF (International Coaching Federation) will at some point in the near future offer a specialization certification in team coaching.  Having coached teams for many years, naturally I’ll go for it.  But it did get me thinking.  How many of you out there might be interested in the specifics of…

Creating team and workplace environments that are diverse, equitable, inclusive, and foster feelings of belonging for all constituents is an ongoing process.  We learn about other perspectives and experiences as we encounter them.  So we strive to be open to learning, improving, and changing our opinions.  It’s OK to never feel “finished” and to feel…

Although I’ve covered the topic Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity in a prior blog,  I’ve received enough questions that indicate that readers are using the words interchangeably.  These words are not synonyms, even if they form the foundation of workplace cultures of belonging.  Rhodes Perry (2018) defines these terms as follows: Diversity exists at work when the environment…

In coaching business executives and entrepreneurs, one of my first questions is, “What kind of culture do you want to create?”  I find the answers more helpful than the traditional goal setting and performance target identification.  After all, it is all about people and relationships.  But defining culture and delineating it’s constituents, are not easy…

Trust is a reciprocal dance.  Information gathered from experiencing one another is sorted, stored, and conclusions are drawn.  They say that trust takes time to develop but can be shattered in minutes.  Since trust is such a huge part of human interactions and certainly especially true in the workplace, it makes sense to understand what…