I had the TV on last night (just for the noise company) and caught one of the sitcoms talking about voice tone. A women, I think her name was Whitney, was complaining to her friend that her husband used a nasty tone of voice sometimes when he talked to her. She...
Year: 2011
L.M. SIXEL’S FIVE WORKPLACE RULES
L.M. Sixel, the Houston Chronicle columnist, recently wrote an article about what makes a better workplace. She had five simple rules for creating a better workplace. I think her rules are excellent and I would like to comment on them further. The basis of Sixel’s...
Good Things About Getting Older, Which Included Fireflies
I know what you are thinking about the title of this blog. “Yeh right, who are you fooling!” It is common to focus on the aches and pains of growing older, the saggy skin, the wrinkles, those bags under our eyes, the dreaded cellulite. Enough!! I like to think of the...
A Mediator’s Thoughts on Mediation
One day in 1999, I got a letter from former Judge Samuel B. Kent, appointing me as a mediator to a case in his court. Shortly after my appointment, the Fifth Circuit slapped Judge Kent’s hand (the big spank would come later) and told him he couldn’t mandate who would...
Hell has no Fury like a Woman Scorned Especially on a Blog
As a Sicilian woman I know how to hold a grudge. I like to say it is in my blood but that is probably just an excuse. Anyway, I recently read an article in the Houston Chronicle that tops any kind of revenge that I could ever dream of doing. According to the article,...
What makes good people become bad supervisors?
What makes good people turn into bad supervisors? This is an interesting subject and unfortunately a common problem. In some ways it is similar to bad parenting. Although some bad parenting skills can be offset with lots of love,. people don’t come to work to be...
An EVALUATION FROM HELL
Recently I was at a local spa getting a beauty treatment (yes, I like to indulge myself). Mary, the sweet lady that was giving me a facial, confided that she was upset over a recent evaluation she had received from her boss. Mary apologized to me for venting, but...
SURFING PORN AT WORK–IS THERE A DOUBLE STANDARD IF YOU ARE UPPER MANAGEMENT?
Recently George Greanias, the President and CEO of Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) in Houston, Texas was caught surfing porn on his personal computer at work. I have no direct involvement in this matter but was surprised to see how it was handled by Metro....