Steady Under Pressure: The Leadership Skill Teams Need Now
Steadiness under pressure is not a personality trait. It is a learnable leadership skill. Discover why it matters and how to develop it intentionally.
Dena Samuels
Psychological Safety in the Workplace
Psychological safety has become a buzzword of late, yet it is practiced far less than most people realize. Obviously, to create a motivated and engaged team, people need to feel safe enough to speak up, ask questions, admit mistakes, and share ideas without fear of being judged, dismissed, or penalized. When that safety exists, teams … Read more
What Healthy, High-Performing Teams Do Differently
Healthy, high-performing teams don’t just focus on results—they pay attention to how those results are achieved. They understand that sustainable performance comes from people who feel grounded, supported, and able to contribute fully. Instead of operating in constant urgency, these teams create space for clarity, intentional decision-making, and thoughtful action. They also prioritize psychological safety. … Read more
Normalizing Workplace Well-Being
Most organizations have well-being initiatives. Far fewer have well-being cultures. The difference isn’t whether something is offered — it’s whether it’s revisited over time. Well-being workshops can be powerful entry points for building awareness, developing new skills, and helping leaders and teams begin to shift how they work. Real impact happens when organizations revisit and … Read more
Sunday Scaries
You know that feeling that comes up on Sundays? Maybe it’s when you first wake up and you realize it’s Sunday, or sometime mid-day when that sense of dread rushes through your body like a lightning bolt as you realize tomorrow is Monday? It can ruin your whole day, robbing you of the rest and … Read more
America Needs Truth & Conciliation, Not Civil War
By Stephany Rose Spaulding, Ph.D and Dena Samuels, Ph.D Donald J. Trump is doing everything in his power (and beyond what his power technically allows) to stoke the flames of a race war in the U.S., when his administration should be working to squelch those flames. At a time when protests demanding racial justice have … Read more
5 Myths about Racism in your Organization
As organizations attempt to commit, some for the first time, to improving their policies and practices around race and racism, many are experiencing some common pitfalls. The positive intention of building more cultural inclusion is sometimes followed by problematic action. For example, in the hope of providing space for their Black, Indigenous, and other employees … Read more
A New Kind of Leader
I have spent my shelter-in-place time talking with dozens of people, many of whom have been suffering in one way or another. Some were dealing with layoffs, others were feeling the psychological strain of isolation, and others were tired from pulling double duty as workers/childcare, workers/teachers, or workers/caregivers to family members. I have heard many … Read more
How to Make Virtual Meetings More Engaging, Effective, and Inclusive
Just before all the restaurants were closed due to Coronavirus, I was meeting with my colleague, Kim, over lunch. We started talking about how much more we had been using videoconferencing for our meetings. I mentioned that in addition to all the in-person trainings I do, I have used videoconferencing for my meetings and trainings … Read more
Connection & Belonging at a Time of Forced Isolation
Yesterday, the Coronavirus was upgraded to pandemic status by the World Health Organization. Events and gatherings are being canceled. Entire universities are closing their doors and sending their students home. We are encouraged to isolate ourselves more and more as social anxiety around the situation continues to mount. We are social beings. We are not … Read more