Articles
Browse every published article connected to Diana Morris, with exact attribution and full-archive search.
Articles
Browse every published article connected to Diana Morris, or search within this exact expert archive.
In his book, The Power of Optimism, author Alan Loy McGinnis uses the phrase “tough-minded optimist” to talk about the mental and emotional strength that optimism requires. That’s just spot on.
Conflict prepares you for breakthroughs © 2009, Doug Davin and Diana Morris www.breakthroughskills.com We’ve all got preconceived ideas about what relationships “should be” like or how teams “ought to” work. These expectations can cause us a lot of grief as relationship after relationship seems to fall short. But as we’ve seen, conflicts at work are a given. There are no perfect teams, managers, or employees, and it’s not possible to have a job where people never frustrate of disappoint you.
© 2009, Diana Morris and Doug Davin www.breakthroughskills.com Writer’s block. Usually said with the same tone we might use for “root canal” or “audit,” writer’s block is the frustration of being stumped by a writing task. No ideas are flowing, or the ones that are seem silly, clunky, or somehow not quite right. As your frustration builds, so does the panic of knowing you’re wasting time you probably don’t have to waste. Just about everyone can relate.
How to prime your brain to expect success © 2009, Doug Davin and Diana Morris www.breakthroughskills.com n[Featured Breakthrough Skill— High Possibility Thinking: Set great expectations] Two people begin separate consulting practices. Each loses a critical contract.
Your ideas are exceptional: a breakthrough product, a high potential business opportunity, a way to simplify a key process…but is anyone listening? Add impact and power to your next sales letter, memo, report, proposal, or presentation with these proven techniques: 1. Start with what readers need to know rather than what you want to say. What do readers already know about your topic? What are their business conce s? What will they gain or avoid losing by taking the action you’re asking them to take? What ideas or opinions will they have as they read or hear your message?
© 2009, Diana Morris and Doug Davin www.breakthroughskills.com Writer’s block. Usually said with the same tone we might use for “root canal” or “audit,” writer’s block is the frustration of being stumped by a writing task. No ideas are flowing, or the ones that are seem silly, clunky, or somehow not quite right. As your frustration builds, so does the panic of knowing you’re wasting time you probably don’t have to waste. Just about everyone can relate.
Strong body, strong heart, high hopes © 2009, Doug Davin and Diana Morris www.breakthroughskills.com n[Featured Breakthrough Skill— High Possibility Thinking: Set great expectations] It's tough to feel excited and energized about your future when you're tired or run down. So boost your "bring it on!" with our strategies for staying healthy, strong, and vibrant.
Successful people and teams create a vision of the future they want; they don’t wait to receive one. By Doug Davin and Diana Morris www.breakthroughskills.com n“Dreams are the seedlings of realities.”rn—James Allen, As a Man Thinketh Around 1730, while in his late 20s, Benjamin Franklin made a list of 13 virtues.
A powerful approach to turning conflict in your favor © 2009, Doug Davin and Diana Morris www.breakthroughskills.com n[Featured Breakthrough Skill Conflict Management: Keep cool in hot situations] You may have heard some version of the saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” You keep trying to get an employee to take the initiative, but he won’t. He does just what he’s told and not a calorie more. The rest of the team picks up the slack, but their resentment and frustration are growing.
How to get the facts—all of them—before any confrontation © 2009, Doug Davin and Diana Morris www.breakthroughskills.com n[Featured Breakthrough Skill—Conflict Management: Keep cool in hot situations] It could be that nothing is more damaging, not to mention embarrassing, than confronting someone when it’s not warranted, when you’re either dead wrong or you’re missing a key fact, something you should know but forgot to ask.
How optimism and positive expectation put you in control of your life © 2009, Doug Davin and Diana Morris www.breakthroughskills.com n[Featured Breakthrough Skill—High Possibility Thinking: Set great expectations] What is it about positive people? They’re like success magnets. They always seem to be in the right place when the plum assignment or opportunity arises. When they’re not around, people talk about them in only the most flattering ways. Loyal friends and supportive coworkers surround them.
© 2009, Doug Davin and Diana Morris www.breakthroughskills.com n[Featured Breakthrough Skill—High Possibility Thinking: Set great expectations] The great Hudson School landscape artist Joseph Turner, famous for using vibrant colors in his bigger-than-life paintings, was once asked, “Why do you paint in such extravagant colors? You don’t see those colors in nature.” “Yes, that’s true,” he replied, “but don’t you wish you did?” The questions you ask are a frame you draw around the future you’re creating.
We’ve all got preconceived ideas about what relationships “should be” like or how teams “ought to” work. These expectations can cause us a lot of grief as relationship after relationship seems to fall short. But as we’ve seen, conflicts at work are a given. There are no perfect teams, managers, or employees, and it’s not possible to have a job where people never frustrate of disappoint you.
Keys to learning and growing through tough times © 2009, Doug Davin and Diana Morris www.breakthroughskills.com n[Featured Breakthrough Skill—Conflict Management: Keep cool in hot situations] Conflict can sometimes strengthen us more than any other kind of experience. And the lessons we learn through conflict tend to stick because they come at emotionally-charged times.