Utmost Positive Regard (UPR)

I was reminded of UPR earlier this week when on a call with a group of people with whom I took a leadership program a number of years ago.

What is the intent behind UPR?

♥️ To treat everyone we meet with the utmost positive regard.
♥️ To believe that s/he is doing her or his best.
♥️ To treat people with respect.
♥️ To ...

As I was pondering what to do with “more-in-me” this past summer, I came across Stephen Cope’s book, “The Great Work of Your Life” in my unread books pile. As you might guess from the title, this book is about figuring out your vocation or true calling. Cope uses the story from the two thousand year old yogic text “The Bhagavad Gita” as a backdrop ...

^{Updated March 10, 2022.}

At the beginning of every orientation session for mentoring programs, I ask the participants to write down any challenges they foresee regarding the success of their mentoring relationship. The #1 challenge, by far, is always time.  From business owners to professionals to triathletes, people are concerned about how to make...

“Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities — always see them, for they’re always there.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Being a possibilitarian has had quite an impact in my life.

After a 20 year corporate marketing/HR career, I obtained a Master’s degree at age 45 and e...

From the hundreds of mentoring partnerships I’ve witnessed in programs ranging from the tech industry to education to triathlon to government to community development, the single biggest factor in relationship breakdown is unclear expectations and lack of alignment on how to carry out the relationship. Same is true for informal, naturally occurring...

When asked to reflect on relationships that have made a difference in their lives, many people think about their mentoring relationships. However, like other work and personal relationships, mentoring relationships fall along a continuum ranging from high quality to dysfunctional. Research has shown that one determining attribute of high quality me...

“End. Hurry.” After writing the first post about slowing down (which I’ve since renamed “Version 1“) it occurred to me that there’s another interpretation. “What are you waiting for?” One of those dualities that makes life entertaining…how to slow down and hurry up at the same time?!

Sometimes we are content to meander along saying to ourselves th...

In 7th grade, there was a beautiful big tree in the schoolyard. It was just perfect for climbing. It had large limbs reaching out from the trunk the right distance apart to be able to move higher up into the tree with relative ease.

I loved climbing trees. One day I talked a friend into climbing the tree with me to eat our lunch. A short while lat...

Even though the world of work has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades, where long tenure and single careers have almost become a thing of the past, many people still hold the perspective that there’s one path they ‘should’ be taking. That once they find their one true calling, fulfillment and prosperity will follow. I agree that wh...

You may be familiar with the term ‘the zone’ and ‘being in the zone.’ The zone, also referred to as flow, is a desirable state that fuels peak performance and lasting intrinsic motivation.

What’s possible in ‘the zone’?

When you are in the zone you are taking on something bigger that aligns with your passions and purpose. Steven Kotler, in his bo...