Hi All, Contact Professionals familiar with the teachings of Verbal Judo should immediately reflect on George Thompson’s great teaching on this point and the difference between respect and RE-spect. If you’re not familiar with it, go here for a perennial classic. If you actually follow the discipline of Verbal Judo, then you know that there are, literally, no times in life when you’re not showing … Continue reading Respect at all Times
Kindness is strength. This is so very true! One would find it difficult to source a better summary of strength of character (for anyone and especially leaders) than that of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I said difficult, but not impossible, as a book fit to sit directly next to The Meditations is It Worked for me: In Life and Leadership, by Colin Powell. One … Continue reading The Dialectic of Creating Healing & Safe Healthcare Environments
There are no innocent bystanders. When wrong-doing occurs in your presence, your silence is tacit approval. If you witness inappropriate actions, you must: Assist others. Fix something when it is going wrong. Stop something that is wrong. No matter what, tell the truth. LIFE needs people who adopt a protector mindset. One does NOT need to be a Police Officer, Law Enforcement Officer, Security Officer, … Continue reading Mobilize Yourself for Others
I ask that you reflect upon how many (some might say most) modern human beings are far worse at reading the body language of their fellow human beings than our ancient ancestors. Why? Because we are distracted by words. We place such a high importance on what others verbally say, while we overlook what their bodies are non-verbally saying. We are distracting ourselves (by an … Continue reading Distraction is Dangerous
Dr. George Thompson, creator of Verbal Judo, identified (and gave a name to) just this practice of professionally given “REspect” (his unique spelling) to distinguish it from the commonly known form of earned “respect.” This is one of the many tools, tactics, practices, and strategies that he contributed to the world of Conflict Communication. His pioneering work forms the foundation of many Conflict Communication programs … Continue reading REspect All Persons…Always
Hi All, See this article over at Police1. Note that the same de-escalation (and hopefully non-escalation as well) tactics taught for the purpose of making vehicle pursuits as safe (physically, legally, emotionally, and otherwise) as possible are (should be) the same as keeping any people-stops safe, namely self/attitude management, nimble judgment & decision-making skills, all the while maintaining awareness of the need for immediate violence … Continue reading Vehicle Stops are People Stops: When you train for one, you train for both
Hi All, As Wayne Dyer once said: “Conflict cannot survive without your participation.” So how are you participating? What are you doing, for instance, to create a non-escalating environment and/or to de-escalate to bring the environment back to calmness? Are you letting your ego run things so that you continue to need to feel superior to the other person? If so, you’re elevating the need to … Continue reading Conflict & Your Participation
Hi All, Muhammad Ali is now physically gone. He has died. Yes, he was a boxer. He was an impeccable boxer! But is that how he is remembered now? No, he is not remembered as “just” a boxer. He is also not remembered as being “just” a person. No…rather, he is remembered as having been a human being, a man of character, with immense moral … Continue reading Muhammad Ali: A True Human Being
Hi Everyone! Please see this article over at Police.com. It shows an altercation between a man stopped for a traffic stop and a Police Officer. The man ended up shooting the Officer several times, wounding him in the arm. Watch the video. It’s the Officer body camera. Listen to the interaction. I’m less concerned about the tactics involved (though do pay attention to the relatively … Continue reading Bystander rushes to aid shot Ky. Officer
Conflict Transformation & Ethical Guardianship 