Jim Ryan
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Category Archives: Personal Development
How to Deal with Mean People at Work
Mean people stink. Mean people at work are a nightmare. Having to deal with them five days a week can ruin your job. I once worked with a woman who was meaner than mean. She (let’s just call her Lizzie) could take … Continue reading
Posted in Dealing with Difficult People, Management, Personal Development
Tagged Bullies at work, mean people
1 Comment
Get ready to get Uncomfortable
Life is uncomfortable. We often get tired, hungry, thirsty, itchy… Sometimes it’s too hot, too cold, too bright, too dark, too noisy, too smelly… And that’s just a typical day. On a bad day there may be pain, anxiety, sadness, and stress. On top … Continue reading
Posted in Emotional Intelligence, Personal Development
Tagged Being Uncomfortable, climbing, mountaineering, pain, sadness
8 Comments
How to Behave When you Get Tough Feedback
When I was much younger, a boss of mine gave me some tough feedback. Basically she told me I was burnt out and my emotions were getting the better of me. When looking back, was absolutely true. She was blunt and to the point … Continue reading
Posted in Emotional Intelligence, Personal Development
Tagged criticism, defensiveness, feedback, supervision
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Toward the Light – a podcast on how to move through times of darkness
I would like to share this podcast of a wonderful sermon given by Reverend Frank Clarkson. We are midway through the winter and the light is slowing returning. Reverend Clarkson helps us understand the importance of embracing both the darkness and dawn. … Continue reading
Posted in Personal Development
1 Comment
Drama in the Workplace
We love drama. It makes for great TV, great theater, and great stories. But when it happens at work, it’s not so great. The bottom line is, the more drama you have, less gets done. Think about the last time … Continue reading
Lessons on Teamwork from the Mountains
I love to climb. When I was 6 months old I learned to climb out of my crib. I drove my parents nuts. As a young man, I used to read about epic mountain climbs and dreamt of standing on … Continue reading
Posted in Personal Development
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How to Behave In a Meeting
I was in a meeting not too long ago. Fifteen minutes after it started, one of the participants showed up holding a fresh cup of coffee from a local coffee shop. He made excuses about being late, but he omitted … Continue reading
Posted in Management, Personal Development
Tagged bad meetings, death by meeting, meeting ground rules, Meetings
9 Comments
Stop Yelling at Me!
When I was a young manager, I yelled at one of my staff. While I may have been justifiably angry, I chose to express it by raising my voice and losing my cool. I didn’t say anything mean or cruel; … Continue reading
Posted in Dealing with Difficult People, Management, Personal Development
Tagged anger, boss, buddha, management, screaming, soft skills, yelling
1 Comment
How to Recover From a Failure
After a difficult experience or event someone will inevitably say “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. Neitzsche, the famous philosopher who said it first may have been right, but failing at something still sucks. I’m not sure who said … Continue reading
Posted in Personal Development
Tagged business, failure, grief, Personal Development, recover
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How to Have a Difficult Conversations
We all have them, or at least we should be having them. Difficult conversations are essential for a successful manager but they can be the last thing we want to do. I had a long history of avoiding difficult conversations. Like most, … Continue reading
