As an organizational development consultant, I have worked with several organizations that have either merged, or where one has bought the other. Based on best practices and mistakes I’ve experienced with clients I offerseven ways for Oracle and Sun Microsystems to reduce stress amongst their employees. Some of them may already be in process.1- Recognize that no matter how great…

Meg Whitman wants to run for governor, and fix CA but she has neglected to vote many time according to Channel 2 News.I don’t understand how someone who has chosen not to participate in the electoral process wants to run the state. Perhaps we wouldn’t be in such a mess if more people had chosen to get involved instead. She…

n my 20 years of consulting I have found 7 key ways in which managers can help direct reports work more effectively with less. Here are three actions they can take:• Decide which tasks are most important and the order in which they need to be done. Give the employee permission to reschedule other work that is not as important….

Is it time to celebrate the end of racism? That’s what so many people are proclaiming on television and radio. I’m glad Obama was elected It definitely reflects a change in this country and the willingness of voters to vote for the person they think is the most qualified. Many African American voters grew up sitting in the back of…

I just returned from attending the Out & Equal Summit in Austin, Texas. Out & Equal is the national organization whose mission is to work towards LGBT equality in the workplace. (LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender.) I was impressed with the number of organizations and their senior leadership that attended. Companies such as Deloitte, Hewlett Packard, Pepsico, Boeing…

WHY ” SENSITIVITY TRAINING” IS INSENSITIVE AND PATRONIZING I’ve often been asked if I “do sensitivity training.”I found myself getting irritated by the very term “sensitivity training”, and didn’t know why I had such a visceral reaction. After spending time thinking about it, and talking to people who professed to be “sensitivity trainers’ I realized that “sensitivity training” as it…

I was recently asked if I had ever experienced “fear of success.” I had to be truthful and answer in the affirmative. I have owned my organizational consulting business for over 18 years. I work with senior level managers to create more inclusive and profitable cultures where people can do their best work. I also speak and write on How…

I was recently asked what people can do to stay visible in their organization during financial insecurity and economic downturns. I am a consultant, speaker and author specializing in culture change and inclusion. Visibility is a common issue amongst many of my coaching clients who want to move up in the organization. With the economic downturn and so many new…

I didn’t understand all the rights of marriage until my partner of 18 years, died suddenly and I became the single mother of our eight year old son. Legally, we had no say in what happened to her after death. and even had to get permission from her family to say goodby to her before she was cremated. Although her…

Dear Senator Clinton,Several months ago I was very impressed when I heard you say that when elected, even before you took office you were going to go around the world and tell leaders of other nations that the “era of cowboy diplomacy is over”. When I heard you say those words, I said to myself, “at last we have a…