productive discomfort

Here it is again: That stomach-flipping condition called change is flying in and out of my office this morning. I am getting ready to facilitate a VIP Leadership retreat in St. Augustine next week. What will I do that makes me better for my attendees?

Getting better means different things at different times. When I am sick, I want to get better so I can go outside. When I ski, I want to get better so I can ski a harder run the next time. When I work, I want to get better so the people I work with can feel better about how they live.

That's a workout. It's a challenge to get better at the game of living well. Living well means health, prosperity, and relationships. I am not a doctor but I can tell when I need to see one. I am not a financial planner but I know how to save (and spend...). I am, however, a coach and I know what it takes to feel good in a relationship.

When we think about relationships, we usually think about our spouse or lover first. Second, we think of our family. Third we think of friends. In my work, I want to know about all those things but the ones that make the most curious are the relationships we have with the people we work with each day. We can spend more waking hours with them than either our mate, family or our closest friends. We should spend more time thinking about how to make our work relationships more meaningful.

Work relationships feel like risky business.

They are. All our relationships are. If we don't challenge ourselves to understand, and if we don't ask to be heard, relationships become flat and uninspiring. I don't want to be flat or uninspiring next week. I guess I will have to change something - again.