The Rooney Rambles

Three essential building blocks for effective communication

<h1>Why bother reading this?</h1> Most people, if asked to name the three most essential communication skills, would list at least one, if not all, of these attributes: trust, empathy, and active listening. Yet, if we asked the same group how strong they thought their own abilities were in these…

Why Communication Skills Matter and How to Be a Better Communicator

How Can You Think That? You Must Be Crazy! Consider the hot-button issues of our time: climate change, COVID or now measles vaccinations, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the use of the emergency act, deficits and fiscal responsibility, immigration, pro-life vs. pro-choice debates, Black Lives Matter,…

You are not alone if you think meetings interrupt workflow and rob you of valuable time, but we seem to still need them. What can be done?

First ask yourself, “How much time do managers typically spend in meetings”? The answer, at least according to a quick Google search, might surprise you. Although the amount of time spent in meetings varies depending on the research one looks at, typically, executives spend 50% of their time in…

Now that I've shared what can go wrong when you keep silent, here's what you can do to speak up more effectively and prevent sad endings.

In my last post, I shared a personal account of failing to use crucial conversation skills, an incident that had serious repercussions for both me and the company I was heading. Here are six tips, gleaned the hard way, for having more productive crucial conversations: 1. Speak up! Do not…

I’m going to share a personal account of failing to use crucial conversation skills, an incident that had serious repercussions for both me and the company I was heading.

“Not being heard is no reason for silence.” – Victor Hugo In this post, I’m going to share a personal account of failing to use crucial conversation skills, an incident that had serious repercussions for both me and the company I was heading. Don't miss my follow-up post on how to prevent sad…

As you can see from my recent photos, I’m no spring chicken. That’s the bad news.

As you can see from my recent photos, I’m no spring chicken. That’s the bad news. The good news is that even as you and I age, our brains remain malleable and open to learning. Sometimes we acquire greater wisdom about important things that we once took for granted but did not fully appreciate in…

Many of you will recognize these lyrics from one of the best-known songs by the Rolling Stones. The refrain ends, “But if you try sometime / You’ll find / You get what you need.” These simple lyrics hold a lot of wisdom. They suggest that if we have patience following a short-term disappointment,…

Humbling at the Time, Funny in Hindsight, and Instructive on Occasion

Not that long after arriving in Canada, nearly 30 years ago, I got the chance to hit the slopes at Blue Mountain Ski Resort with my youngest daughter, Megan, who was about seven at the time. As someone who had played competitive sports, I thought that learning to ski would be a piece of cake and…

Most of us experience a mental health issue at some point in our lives. Among those of belonging to a certain generation and cultural background, we usually cope by soldiering on in denial, putting on a brave face, and hoping the problem goes away or fixes itself. Under normal circumstances, I…

You do not have to play the game to be reminded of these 5 powerful life lessons

I get it: some people reading this post will have zero interest in golf. In fact, you might feel just like Winston Churchill, who once dismissively said that golf was “a good walk spoilt.” So, while I am writing this post primarily for people who play golf or like watching the game, I am also…