Attitude and Personal Growth
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In this tip Craig encourages us to stick with the process of good group decision making, even though we're not perfect at it, and explains the benefits.
In this tip about team emotional intelligence Craig outlines our three choices when we don't like the way things are - adapt, migrate, or perish - and explains the implications of each for our group.
In this tip about inclusive conversations, Craig outlines the practical risks of telling a peer what to do without first asking their opinion.
In this video Craig cautions how our biases can prevent us from making good group decisions.
In this tip Craig encourages us to leave a little excess capacity for the unexpected and explains how we might do that in our groups.
In this tip Craig explains how to keep group decision making momentum, despite being tempted to delay progress in the name of perfection.
In this video Craig tells and ancient story and encourages each of us to "be ourselves."
Are your meetings more like cheap fiction or great literature? In this video Craig offers an analogy to help you consider what energy and attitudes to bring to your meetings.
In this video Craig explains that being faced with poor choices is not an excuse for not making one, and how it';s okay to make a choice even between poor choices.
In this tip Craig explains the benefits of crediting the group rather assigning blame or praise to individuals.
In this tip Craig discusses the difference between right-sized determination and unwavering attachment. He offers practical advice for groups wrestling with damaging attachments.
Inspired by alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, Craig explains the incredible power of visualizing end results and encourages groups to invest in defining their vision.
In this tip about group process and practice, Craig breaks the concept of discipline into three distinct steps and explains how discipline can help groups achieve their goals, joyfully.
In this video Craig explains the benefits of having a positive attitude.
In this video Craig explains how actually doing good things can make you feel better.
Speaking of the Earth both literally and metaphorically, in this tip Craig encourages groups to consider impact of decisions on other groups and over time. How big is your group's circle of concern?
In this video about team emotional intelligence, Craig discusses how leaders (and others) can harness the power of feedback.
Overwhelmed with gratitude for the work he is able to do and inspired by Jim Collins' Good to Great, Craig shares his magic formula for making a living from his passion, and encourages YOU to find what makes you great.
In this tip about team emotional intelligence, Craig describes how foretelling negativity can contribute to negative outcomes, and offers some alternatives. Bonus: check out the comments section for a great story of this concept in action.
In this tip Craig offers advice for groups feeling burdened by the past while trying to make forward-looking decisions.
People are responding in different ways to the changes afoot. Our federal government is changing. The climate is changing. Technology is changing. Many of us are not sure how to react, or who we’re supposed to be in this unsettling world. My reaction is to do more in person and less online. More in-person gatherings. ...read more
In this tip Craig explains the practical benefits of relentlessly seeking out the best in every person.
In this tip Craig reflects on discontent and explains how gratitude can help bring peaceful resolution.
What makes me smile looking back on my day? It’s not the $5 I spent on a that new thing, or the $5 I saved with that special coupon; it’s the $5 that I gave to Tom the bottle guy. (Here in Maine we have a bottle law so people collect empties for money). When ...read more
It’s easy to be right, in my head. It’s easy to pretend I’m more perfect than I really am; more perfect than you. It’s harder to be wrong, with grace. The measure of integrity is not how right someone is, but how they handle when they’re wrong. We all make mistakes, including you. I know ...read more
In this video about team emotional intelligence Craig explains this meeting guideline: "Please take responsibility for the energy you bring into this space." He reminds us that although we don't have control over everything that happens, we do have control over our own attitude, and shares several helpful attitudes we can bring into meetings.
In this tip Craig discusses the incredible power of humility in group decision making.
In this video Craig cautions against blaming others for things not right, and the inefficiencies that can result.
In this tip Craig discusses the one belief that has the greatest impact on group success.
In this video Craig explains how releasing ourselves from a focus on credit and blame can be very freeing for our group.
In this tip Craig explains when it's okay to say "I don't know" and how doing so can be a gift of efficiency to your group.
In this tip Craig shares some practical strategies and attitudes for cultivating the best ideas from your group.
In this video Craig explains the value of positive thinking and the choices we have aboutr that.
In this tip Craig describes how an attitude of indifference can be freeing and efficient for group members. When there aren't strong feelings, don't force them. Craig explains in the tip.
In this tip Craig explores how kindness contributes to good group decision making.
In this tip Craig outlines the list - sometimes long! - of various interests that leaders must consider, and offers practical advice and encouragement for leaders and followers alike.
In this tip Craig distills classic expertise on leadership into five key practices, and explains how leadership can be practiced from anywhere in the group.
After spotting a Stephen Covey quote, Craig shares his belief that leadership is more about inspiration than about demands or requirements.
Fully aware that there are many diverse perspectives on religion, Craig explains a Quaker principle and shares five practical, secular benefits of this way of thinking when applied to group decision making.
Love? In group decision making? Really? Yes. Craig explains in this tip. Bonus: great dialogue and stories in the comments section.
In this video Craig explains a simple concept with profound implications: giving before getting. How can this help your group? Craig discusses in the video.
In this tip Craig shares the practical benefits of uplifting others in your group.
This phrase has been around since medieval times. I first heard it in Quaker meeting. To me it means that when you have lots of people helping, it’s easier for each person. And more fun. I choose to think of “light” as less burden AND more positive. Last weekend I helped out the Farmyard Jam, ...read more
Building on a TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Craig highlights how there is never just one story that explains things. It's always multiple stories that make for good group decisions.
In this tip about team emotional intelligence Craig offers practical advice for groups deciding how to handle mistakes.
In this tip Craig explains how groups can use moral compass as a guide when in uncharted territory.
In this tip about inclusive conversations, Craig explains how our initial attitudes can influence ultimate outcomes.
In this tip about team emotional intelligence, Craig describes the benefits of treating each participant's perspective as their truth.
In this tip about team emotional intelligence, Craig reveals some assumptions and wishes we often make about sources of problems and solutions, and offers a more practical way forward.
In this tip Craig outlines the difference between individual responsibility and group responsibility and offers suggestions for how to incorporate responsibility into group work.
I think humans have a genetic defect that might do us in. Our brains are too big. Not only do our heavy heads cause innumerable muscular/skeletal challenges, we think too much. I have this defect. Recall my recent article where I said that job of the heart is to pump blood, the job of the ...read more
In this tip Craig encourages groups to consider all costs and benefits, not just those that can be measured with dollar value.
In this tip Craig offers a compassionate, practical perspective to help group members embrace the range of personality types participating in shared work.
In this tip Craig reframes changes of mind as potential strengths, not invariable weaknesses. He offers practical advice on considering all angles, for groups and individuals.
World peace is a nice idea, but when news of conflicts from around the world are so abundant on my screens I can find myself drowning in despair. I’ve learned some simple tricks to help me foster peace in a battle-torn world. First of all, the world is not my responsibility. Of course people are ...read more
In this video Craig provides three downsides to applying a label to a person and over-simplifying who they really are.
In this tip about group process and practice, Craig discusses the value of post-process review and explains a simple but effective technique.
Right before heading into an important meeting or conversation, I try to do three things: Plan my notes. If I hear something note-worthy, where will I write it down? I usually have two plans for that. 1. I have in my pocket a couple business cards and a Swiss Army Knife pen. Really. It’s called ...read more
In this video Craig explains that looking for good things in each person is not just a moral issue, it has practical benefits for your group, for the people you meet, and for you.
Just like your navigation app, facilitators are always “recalculating” when in a group process. In this video Craig explains and gives examples of what recalculating looks like in a meeting. (And, um, he tries to do a British accent...)
In this tip Craig explores how groups can instill a sense of reverence into group decision making - and why it's important.
In this video Craig explains how the best Chair persons are those willing to serve the group; willing to set up the chairs.
In this tip Craig outlines the interplay between rules and relationships in group decision making and offers practical advice for using both.
In this tip Craig offers a thought-provoking perspective on the roles of and science and intuition in group decision making. Bonus: A rich range of responses in the comments section.
In this tip Craig offers compassionate, practical advice for participating fully in group decision making while also letting go of outcomes.
In this tip Craig shares a story and some practical advice about discerning and speaking your own truth in a group decision making process.
In this video Craig explores "strong" and "weak" terminology as it applies to group decision making, and provides some thought-provoking advice for your next decision making process.
In this tip Craig encourages groups to take a next step even when the whole plan is not yet clear. If your group is stuck and can't move forward, this tip is for you.
Fully appreciative of diverse perspectives on religion, in this video Craig offers a non-religious take on how the principles of prayer - clarity, humility, hope - offer several practical benefits for group decision making.
I’ve been reading this book – The Courage to be Disliked – and want to tell you some things that I learned from it; and related things I’ve learned over the years. Out of ten people, 1 will dislike you, 2 will like you, and the other 7 will be meh. Why do we focus ...read more
The job of the heart is to pump blood. The job of the lungs is to suck air. The job of the brain is to make thoughts. The lungs and the heart work ALL the time and never turn off. Same. The brain never stops making thoughts. That’s it’s job. This can be hard to ...read more
In this video Craig asserts that we have been seduced into thinking fast is always best, but he argues that that's not always the case and offers practical suggestions for group decision making.
If you want to know what today’s teenagers think about gender and artificial intelligence, you might treat yourself to this 30-minute podcast. Wait. Hold on. If you want to know what THREE TEENAGERS think, treat yourself to this podcast. When I talked with Dylan, Nika, and Wyatt on the radio last week, I learned that not ...read more
In this tip Craig offers compassionate, practical advice for groups experiencing anxiety over things undone.
Is your path to resolution paved mostly with understanding or with trust? In this tip Craig describes both paths and explains their impact on group decision making. If you have different resolution styles in your group, this tip is for you.
In this video Craig explains that in group decision making, some of us need more understanding, more information, before we can trust, while others are ready to trust sooner. Here Craig offers practical advice for both types of people.
In this video Craig reminds us that we never "know it all" and when we think we do, it prohibits us from learning new things.
In this tip Craig explores a foundational principle of good group decision making and discusses the practical benefits of this approach.
