Difficult situations

How My Daughter’s ACL Surgery Taught Us Strength, Resilience, and Family Bonding

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I cried quietly in the front seat of the car. I didn’t want Isabel to see or hear me. In the back seat, she sang cheerfully along with the radio as her dad and I drove her to John Muir Hospital for knee surgery. We had been preparing for this day for two months, but it didn’t make it any easier. I’ve never broken a bone, let alone had surgery, so imagining what my 16-year-old was about to endure felt overwhelming.

We had done everything we could to prepare: found an excellent surgeon, scheduled the procedure to minimize impact on her schoolwork, stocked up on medications, and followed every pre-op instruction. Yet, I felt powerless. I wished I could take her pain away.

The Accident That Changed Everything

It all started with a fluke accident during a casual one-on-one street soccer scrimmage in early August. At first, the X-ray suggested she had simply tweaked her knee, and we expected her to be back at soccer practice in two months. But when the instability lingered, an MRI revealed the truth: a completely torn ACL and a possible meniscus tear. The diagnosis meant a four-hour surgery, two grueling weeks of recovery, three months on crutches, and a year before returning to soccer. ...  read more

Turning a Sticky Work Situation Into an Opportunity: Jason’s Story

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I’ve known Jason for many years. Our relationship started with me acting as a mentor to him, guiding him in his career and communication style. Over time, we’ve grown into peers and friends, and I have come to admire the executive he has become. Nowadays, I learn as much from him as he does from me. Recently, Jason shared a story about how he handled a potentially sticky situation at work, and I think his approach was brilliant. I believe it’s something anyone can benefit from, which is why I’m sharing it here. ...  read more

How to Handle Being Overwhelmed at Work – 4 Tips that Work

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We’ve all been there: waking up feeling like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, unsure how you’ll get through the day. That was me last Monday. I was juggling four major projects, all of them in different stages of chaos (or at least it felt that way). One of the projects involved a teammate who I wasn’t convinced knew how to do their part, while another project had a team entirely new to the effort. I couldn’t even gauge their motivation because, so far, no one had taken any real action. Then there was a project where I wasn’t sure what the next steps should be. Trying to tackle all of this at once made my mind feel scattered and unfocused. ...  read more

How to Give Feedback Using the SBI Approach

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Last month, I took a leadership training session called Feedback that Works, created by the Center for Creative Leadership. At first, I figured it would be a nice refresher for my skills, but to my surprise, I learned a lot more than I expected. The session introduced me to a new, simple yet powerful framework for giving feedback—the SBI approach: Situation, Behavior, Impact. It completely changed the way I approach feedback, making it both more effective and less stressful. ...  read more

How to Improve Your Life and Work Today? Try OACS

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improve your life and work

I have been interviewing therapists to see if I can find one that is a good fit.   This post is not about recommending you to get a therapist.  That’s totally up to you.   It’s about sharing a useful tip one therapist shared with me that immediately improve my perspective and thus my life and work.   Apply OCAS!  What is OCAS?  I will get to that in a few paragraph. ...  read more