It’s officially the Christmas season and I’m finally on board with Christmas music, Christmas trees, Christmas shopping and my Christmas pajamas. It’s only a matter of time before I watch Christmas Vacation (again and again.)

Until I brush up on those one-liners I’ll rely on sports as my go-to small talk conversation starters.

And you should too.

Sports is always in season and a way to connect with millions of sports fans.

Happy Thanksgiving Week! 

You know I'm a big advocate of small talk, face-to-face conversations and building relationships through daily interactions. 

HOWEVER... If you'd like to minimize or altogether avoid talking to some of your family members this week. I get it. You might want to take a look at this list on how to be part of family gatherings without talking before Aunt Trudy shows up with her jello salad. 

Of course there's plenty of sports to talk about this week and big football games on the horizon. Take a look at this list use the topics with family and friends this week. 

The Seahawks bye week gave me a chance to sit and watch football all weekend.

So naturally I spent Sunday watching the Red Zone channel, which is awesome and overwhelming all at the same time. If you’re not familiar with the Red Zone it’s a channel that bounces around showing all the scoring plays. Sometimes they’ll stick with a game for several minutes, other times it’s just a few seconds. 
 
It can be a great way to watch a lot of games while I’m doing other things around the house, but even though I’m listening to the commentary I’m not really hearing or remembering what’s been said. 
 
Funny enough, it’s the same way my husband describes conversations with me (at times,) “I listen to everything you say but don’t remember anything.” 
 
I shouldn’t have to tell you (or him!) that’s not the best way to approach conversations with your spouse or your...

Leaders motivate others to think bigger and do better.

But what motivates a leader to stay the course?

Seeing results certainly helps but even when employees or team members take immediate action toward thinking bigger and doing better, there’s often a runway to success.

Leaving time for the “What if’s” to creep in.

• “What if I should have taken a different approach?”
• “What if I misjudged their ability?”
• “What if this doesn’t lead to the results we need?”
• “What if I’m doing this all wrong?”

Even the best leaders deal with doubt and need a confidence boost (or a kick in the pants.) Asking for that kind of support can be tricky, because who do you turn to when you’re already in a vulnerable place?

After being around athletes for nearly 20 years, I know that every single one of them deals with this kind of self-doubt. Regaining confidence, and motivation to stay the course usually includes asking...

Suspense in a movie keeps you interested and intrigued. Add the element of suspense to conversations and your colleagues will be confused and frustrated.

When you keep people in suspense and fail to reveal the reason for the conversation or what you hope to accomplish, you give them the opportunity to make up a story.

Their narrative might not match your objective. In fact, I can almost guarantee it won’t because you don’t work (or live) with mind-readers.

Effective business communication requires the ability to communicate a message clearly which is the opposite of leaving colleagues in suspense by saying things like: “I’ve got an idea. Let’s talk tomorrow.”

Seems simple enough. Except the person receiving that message could be thinking:

“Got an idea about what?”

“About how to help me finish a project ahead of schedule?”

“Is it an idea that’s going to add more work to my plate and make my life...