MEDIATION IS LIKE MAKING COMPOST
Finding Insights in the Garden: Lessons from Mediation Before convening a formal mediation meeting, I always have several private conversations with each party. This approach allows me to delve deeper into their perspectives and uncover the underlying issues. I ask questions that provoke introspection: Did the other person make you feel demeaned? What was going…
Yes, Context is Very Important
Difficult conversations are those conversations that can be emotionally charged and can result in conflict or discomfort. In such conversations, context plays a crucial role in providing meaning to what is being said. In fact, context is often what makes these conversations difficult in the first place. Without the proper context, it can be easy…
Stepping out of the black hole of conflict
https://delphinedutoit.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CONFLICTBLACKHOLE.mp4
What is Mothers’ Day to me?
I never aspired to be a mother. To me what was normal was this: Girls grow up, they start dating, they meet a guy, they fall in love, they get married, they have babies. My life started before The Pill and abortions were unheard of (except for the life-threatening back-street kind). It was way before…
When your coaching client gives back in spades
<704 words> We’re 17 days into the new year and I’ve had more things go wrong in this short time than I care to speak about, in case I fall into the trap of thinking like a victim. I travelled into the city the other day to meet a client: She’s in a senior leadership…
Networking and Business Cards
<1073 words> MUST DO NETWORKING When you start out as an entrepreneur and you get caught up in all the ‘must do’ things like blogging, creating a list, networking, writing a book…it may be daunting; it may be exciting. Whichever way it is/was for you, it’s pretty likely that you attended more than one networking…
TENACITY AND RESILIENCE
<658 words> I have a sideways pear tree in my backyard. It fell over some years ago before I moved here, so I don’t know what happened. But, by the time I moved in, it had developed a very different stance from what one normally expects of a pear tree. The main trunk, about 20 feet…
Being a mother-in-law is no joke
“Mother-in-law” – The most maligned role in our society. Does any little girl ever dream of becoming a mother-in-law? When you were pregnant with your baby (who is now your adult offspring who is married), were you eagerly anticipating becoming a mother-in-law? If you answered ‘Yes’ to either of these questions I’d love to know how…
Alyce doesn’t live here anymore
<1340 words> Alyce fell in her basement a couple of months ago. She banged the back of her head quite hard but came away without any major injuries. There were some long-term effects though. Alyce, who has been living alone on her farm since her husband died about fifteen years ago, had become nervous about staying…
CUTTING BACK ON BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOALS
<1211 words> Ambition Many years ago, when I was working with my first ever coaching client, I saw in real life the power of sensible vs. audacious goal setting. The client was the plant manager in a manufacturing concern, part of a global conglomerate. He was thrilled at his recent promotion – a skilled and experienced…