Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. Ian MacLaren This era of the Coronavirus brings to stark light a recommendation that has always been useful: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. The original quote is actually[1] “Be pitiful, for every man is fighting a hard battle.“ Published in 1897 and credited to Ian MacLaren (aka Rev. John Watson), Scottish writer and minister, born in 1850 and died in 1907. And what is meant by “pitiful” is an older meaning from the last century: compassionate, merciful, tender. How beautiful is this advice. [...]

Ever tried something completely new? And gotten resistance? Have you ever been in charge of a meeting and right away, you get resistance? What do you do about it? I recently led a faculty retreat for about 20 colleagues. Recalling with grim the past retreats with hours and hours of sitting and discussing and nothing gets resolved, I wanted another way to begin the day of working together on some core problems we face. I have experience with groups and facilitation, and I brought those skills with me. It did not go as planned. My plan to begin [...]