Several Christmases ago I met a man who was singularly unskilled in the smooth techniques of Christian communication. Watching him in action, however, I saw that while great communication skills might be nice, there are things that are even more compelling. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas and I was walking through the Seattle Center with my sister-in-law, Jeanie, and her children. We...

Robin Williams' default was always back to sweet. Somehow, he used f-bombs, but didn't get coarse. There was joy in his very synapses. And he was indelible. So here's the deal, if even he could get into such a dark place, many could. If you're reading this, call me before that happens. Here's my all-time favorite riff of his

Best observation this week: A veteran CEO said she thought she needed to putter with about thirty percent of her time. Made me think we been undervalue the practice. Maybe we need a more elegant word? Maybe it's not a guilty pleasure or a time waster, but a chance to let our brains play, create and get ready to refocus. Maybe there's ROI! For me it's watering the plants on the deck, walking throug...

We are wired for stories. Stories are featured in our best moments of learning, we tell them to calm ourselves down, to join with other people, to make sense of things and to honor the few decades we get on the pebble Here’s one of mine—and I share it with you in hopes of hearing one of yours. Ten years ago this week Kari and I and some good friends were in rural Tuscany learning t...

As a facilitator of groups, I've grown used to feeling something between curious and amused when an emcee stands up to introduce me. I usually learn something from these stage-setters who range from commanders to comedians. Mostly I tend to hear these words about me: counselor, consultant, writer, theologian and storyteller. All true, but it's that last one that means the most to me spiritually. ...

As I sit down to write this morning, I am reveling in a typical spring day in Seattle, which means I am reveling in shades of gray. The cloudy sky reflects a bright gray, which is not an oxymoron if you live here. There is softness to everything and I don't have to squint. Even the trees conduct a warm grayness-- just this week presenting bouquets of cream-colored buds. The water of Puget Sound is...

Presented to ICF Washington State way back on November 18, 2014. You can hear it below--in five brief audio chapters. Like most coaches, I had a dynamic career before this one. Mine involved watching a nation of people begin to fall in love with liberty. Probably like me, in your early career you had opportunities to learn about courage and presence, along with how to both advocate and inquire...

Gaze: “Look steadily and intently, especially in admiration, surprise, or thought.” Glance: “Take a brief or hurried look.” Glimpse: “See or perceive briefly or partially.” As I push “send” it’s around 4:20 pm in Seattle on December 21, 2021. Today is the longest night of this long dark year. However, if you know me, you know I think that...

A few years ago, my voicemail and email started filling up with messages from nice people in healthcare. Turns out our pal, SeattleCoach Carlos Pellegrini, MD had dropped our name in his interview with General Surgery News. On December 1, 2021, SeattleCoach hosted an "Intro to Coaching in Health Care Seminar" during which I interviewed Dr. Pellegrini. Listen to our fascinating sixty-mi...

"A team is simply a group of people that trusts each other." Click here to watch a conversation between Patty Burgin, Founder and CEO of SeattleCoach, and Lisa Hufford, Founder and CEO of Simplicity Consulting. We hope you have as much fun listening to this as we did recording it!