“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

You don’t just “get there”: As any parent who has driven with children can appreciate, our subordinates, peers, and bosses all want to know “are we there yet?”

There's that joke that if you are a member of a fitness club, you don't want to be there for the first two weeks of the New Year.  After that, those who resolved to go out and change their lives have pretty much given up.  People sign up with the best of intentions, only to […]

Everything you see or hear these days that involves a “mistake” requires someone to pay for it.

Some of the best moments I have had on this job have been sitting around a table after conferences or meetings, having a beer, and rubbing elbows with people I personally admire.

Even if we are doing the things that we consider to be right, if we are saying the wrong things, we are creating the impression that it is okay to hate.

There’s a reason Firehouse Zen isn’t the most popular fire service blog on the internet. It’s because I tell it to you like it is and hope you are listening.

Stay challenged, stay flexible, but most importantly, stay balanced.

I hope you enjoyed this series on intractable conflict.

Choose carefully what you want to fight over. Pick the battles that are REALLY worth fighting over.

There are clear pitfalls that occur, intentionally or not, when conducting negotiations.

Success will be measured not in how we deflect it and hold it at bay, but in how we engage it and mold it to benefit the needs of our community.

I wasn’t going to post today, because I am taking a day off to relax and be thankful for having meaningful work that is compensated by acceptable work conditions, decent pay and benefits.

It’s very much the story of the little boy crying “wolf”. When the time comes that we need to have credibility, it is too late. Hopefully the wolf ate the boy first.

People don’t choose the nuclear option against people they like and respect, unless they are sociopaths, of course.