By Joan Flora, Ed.D., PCC | Inner Sage Leadership Group Listening Under Threat Most leaders don’t struggle with knowing what to say in difficult conversations. What challenges us is the moment just before language arrives. The urge to clarify, reassure, or correct appears quickly when emotion enters the interaction. For instance, a colleague expresses frustration,…
By Joan Flora, Ed.D., PCC | Inner Sage Leadership Group By now, 80% of New Year’s resolutions have collapsed. The gym bag sits by the door. The meditation app sends another ignored reminder. The new planner is already half abandoned. Every January, we rediscover the same uncomfortable truth. We know exactly what would improve our…
By Joan Flora, Ed.D., PCC | Inner Sage Leadership Group A well-known Harvard study (Killingworth & Gilbert, 2010) found that our minds wander 47–48% of the day, nearly half our waking time. For leaders, that’s a liability: the greatest risk is losing presence when it matters most. Most of us don’t lose clarity because we…
Researchers at the University of Virginia and Harvard University asked participants to sit quietly, without distractions, for 6 to 15 minutes. Most couldn’t do it. In a follow-up study, more than half chose to administer mild electric shocks rather than be alone with their thoughts, Science, 2014, 345(6192), 75–77. It’s astonishing. We long for peace,…
Decoding Anger Using Emotional Response-Ability® Anger doesn’t just appear out of nowhere—it’s your brain’s way of waving a big red flag that says, Something’s not right here. When it shows up, the instinct is often to push back, assert a right, or make a demand. But before reacting, pause–not to suppress the anger but to…
13 Common Thought Distortions That Haunt Us and How to Challenge ThemOur minds can play tricks on us, distorting reality and fueling stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. These cognitive distortions are automatic, but once you recognize them, you can challenge them and regain clarity. 1. All-or-Nothing ThinkingSeeing things in black and white—if it’s not perfect, it’s…