Darcy Luoma Coaching and Consulting

By

Two Questions to Add to Your Conversations

“Here’s …. need …. I saved a file in …. take a look and …. It’s important.”

I was so frustrated. It was my daily huddle call with my colleague Jill, and I was barely catching every other word she was saying. I didn’t know if it was my cell phone or hers, but something in our connection was not working.

Jill. You cut out again. Can you repeat that?

Let me move… Can you hear me now?

Yes! Ok. What did you say?

Take… page 5 needs….

UGH!

I stopped her again. I moved. She moved. After a few more “How about now? Can you hear me now?” we finally decided to stop and try again later.

[Read more…]

By

When Judging Isn’t Helping, Put The Gavel Down

 

gavel brown on counter


I know I’m not alone when I say that Brené Brown is one of my favorite researchers and authors. One of her stories has been popping up in my head a lot lately.

Brené tells of a time when she was really frustrated by someone and it led to her wondering, “Do you think people are doing the best that they can?” Her husband’s response?

“I don’t know. I really don’t. All I know is that my life is better when I assume that people are doing their best. It keeps me out of judgment and lets me focus on what is, and not what should or could be.”

[Read more…]

By

Stop Tolerating your People Problems!

Do you have people problems? Maybe the better question is… What are your people problems?

People problems are inevitable. Whenever people come together, there are going to be different styles and priorities. That creates problems! And that takes away focus from what teams actually come together to do and what they do best. Yet teams don’t always want to talk about the people problems that are present or don’t talk about them in a productive way.

Take a look at this video where I discuss the people problems I am seeing most often right now and what you can do to talk about them.

[Read more…]

By

Time for a Team Check-Up

You might remember that my girls talked me into getting a dog shortly after safer-at-home policies began. I agreed, but on the condition that it was a foster dog. We designed our family dog alliance and spent almost four fun-filled (and slobber-filled) months with our two-year-old, 90-pound foster dog, Sirius.

It was about ten minutes after we dropped off Sirius with his forever family (after the tears were dried up) that the girls asked, “Can we get another foster dog?”

About ten days later, I agreed. Again.

Enter Samson: a two-month-old, 9-pound puppy.

[Read more…]

By

Difficult Conversations Don’t Need to be so Difficult

balance your courage compassion and curiosity shoes walking on stick jeans shoes green grass

Have you ever been part of a conversation where everyone is talking, but it doesn’t feel like anyone is listening?

There’s a reason that there are thousands of books, articles, and podcasts on communication. It’s a universal people problem, and it’s one we see all the time when we’re working with teams.

Communication skills are something that you need regardless of what industry you work in. Even if you work in a cube on a computer all day and never have to talk to clients or customers, you still have to communicate with your colleagues, or at the very least your boss.

In order to be successful, you have to find the BALANCE of three C’s to communicate effectively: courage, compassion, and curiosity. You need all three in order to have a conversation that balances what you want or needs with what the other person wants or needs. If you’re missing any of these three… well that’s when conversations get difficult.

Let’s take a closer look at all three C’s.

[Read more…]

Don't miss our weekly Thoughtfully Fit tips!