These are some thoughts on people, organizations, conflict, and culture. It’s rooted in my ombuds and mediation work, but takes in other things that I study or follow, including history, gambling, conspiracy theories, jazz, and video games.
As a blog, it is a successor to From the Ombuds, which itself is a successor to my earlier Las Vegas and gambling-centric blogging on my own site (Die is Cast, and before that, Casino PTZ), Two Way Hard Three, and other places.
The name, “informed informality,” references one of the four standards of ombuds practice, informality in the sense of assistance that comes outside of formal administrative channels. The “informed” part should imply that, even though I am informal and even casual at times, I have put a lot of thought into this, and hopefully what I say is informed by something.
I recently had the opportunity to talk about the benefits of an ombuds office to organizations. As I see it, the most basic one is a place where people can talk and be heard. While some might argue that listening, as a passive activity, doesn’t do much good, I would counter that it is often […]
Six Reasons to Listen, Even for the Unabashedly Self-Centered Read More »
informed informalityI recently had the good fortune to attend a college basketball game. Don’t worry—I won’t bore you with a play-by-play, but I do want to share the cascade of thoughts triggered by one of the home team pep band’s chants. When an opposing player whiffed a pass, missed a layup, had the ball go through
How Jeering Band Kids Can Change Your Biggest Fundamental Read More »
informed informalityOften, we want to ask for expert advice. We pay for that expertise when we are confident that we can’t, for example, do a better job of replacing a TPMS sensor than the folks down at Discount Tire. And no one would blame us. But let’s admit it. There are times when we ask for
What I Would Do Doesn’t Matter—But Asking Something Else Might Read More »
informed informalityLast time out, I offered some tips on how any leader could actively sabotage their team—not for the purpose of helping them actually do it, but hopefully as a cautionary tale. Today, I asked myself, “Why should leaders have all the fun?” while simultaneously asking, “Why should everyone but leaders be exempt from responsibility
Three Simple Ways to Sabotage Anyone Who Leads You Read More »
informed informalityI spend a lot of time writing about how people can make things better. But what if we entered a mirror universe where I shared how to make things worse for those around you? Could there be something of value learned? I hope so, because I am committing to this concept for the next
Three Simple Steps to Sabotage Any Team You Lead Read More »
informed informalityWe use several tools as we go about our day. Sometimes we draw on what we know, sometimes we get ahead by applying what we know in a certain way. But often, we can make use of what we don’t know, by channeling our curiosity—even if we’re not always encouraged to be curious. Curiosity gets
Beware the Cat, But Flaunt Your Curiosity Read More »
informed informalityThis semester, I am teaching an Honors seminar on the history of conspiracy theories. I find that what I teach influences how I frame my day job, ombudsing/mediation/conflict resolution. When I teach about jazz history, I focus on conflict resolution as a collective improvisation. When covering video games, I consider the ludic aspects of a
Trouble at Work? Make Sure It’s Not a Conspiracy Read More »
informed informalityWe’ve all been there. You are at work, school, or another professional setting, and someone says something to you or someone else that strikes you as remarkably unprofessional. What can you do? First, let’s define our topic. I take communication as “the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior.”
Diagnosing Unprofessional Communication—and Doing Something About It Read More »
informed informalityVrin! I don’t know if that’s how you spell it, but that’s how I’ve seen it most frequently, so “vrin!” it is. What, you may be wondering, do I mean by “vrin?” It’s the sound Hornet makes when she heals, in Hollow Knight: Silksong. You can hear it right here. She says it four
Silksong’s Difficulty And Healthy Frustration Read More »
informed informalityDo you have the will to stop doomscrolling for a minute and celebrate something positive? I hope so, because that means you might let me share my thoughts about a video game whose development history is a welcome counterbalance to the industry-typical cycle of crunch, stress, and toxicity. It turns out that there might
What We Can Learn from Team Cherry Read More »
informed informalityFor some of you reading this, the school year is starting again, which means you are back in the classroom, either as a student or instructor. For others, there’s nothing particularly educationally significant about this season. Still, I feel compelled to talk a little about part of learning that we don’t often hear about: vulnerability.
Learning Among the Thumps Read More »
informed informalityRecently I’ve been in the position of explaining just exactly what ombuds and mediators do, and how informal conflict resolution differs from the formal disposition of complaints. I know, it sounds like a delightfully dry way to pass the time, but it seemed more exciting when I was in the middle of it. Anyway,
When Reconciliation Is More Important Than Truth Read More »
informed informalityI would like to take a minute to share some book news. The audio version of Something For Your Money is now available on Audible and Amazon. That completes the platform trifecta, more or less: the book is now available in print (hardcover and paperback), ebook (more platforms than I can mention), and audio, which
Something For Your Money Now an Audiobook Read More »
book, informed informalityI will set the stage. You are in a large group, talking about a subject about which you consider yourself well informed. Someone lays out a hypothetical scenario, turns to you, and asks, “What would you do next?” You freeze. It’s not nerves, per se—you don’t have stage fright. It’s just a feeling that,
When Saying the Wrong Thing Turns Out Right Read More »
informed informalityI recently presented a workshop as part of UNLV’s Administrative Faculty Development Day that helped participants better understand their legacy by examining their values, purpose, and mission. I’d like to share a little bit of it with you. I even have a few writing prompts if you want to join in the fun. First, why
Three Steps to Understanding Your Legacy Read More »
informed informalityLas Vegas celebrated a birthday last week—its 120th, to be precise. That’s a nice, round, biblical number, so it is an occasion for some reflection on the last 12 decades of Las Vegas. Befitting a town inexorably linked with gambling, that history has had many unexpected turns. Las Vegas as a city was a creation
At 120, Las Vegas Still Surprises Us Read More »
informed informality, life in vegasHow we feel about cryptids poses an interesting exercise in how we approach the frightening and unusual, which might have some implications about how we connect with each other over our fears. According to J. W. Ocker’s The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters, a cryptid is “a creature or
Do Cute Cryptids Connect Us? Read More »
informed informalityIn my last column, I talked about why it can be so difficult for us to articulate what we want, to say what we need to be happy. In other words, why do people struggle to know the outcome that they want? My quick answer is that it may be because no one has asked
Seeing—and Stopping—Self-Sabotage Before It’s Too Late Read More »
informed informalityPeople have a lot of reasons not to be happy. Many of them anyone would understand, while some might be confusing to others. There are several things that stand in the way of your average human being and happiness, but the biggest obstacle in achieving a modicum of contentment might be being unable to say
Why We Struggle to Say What We Need to Be Happy Read More »
informed informalityDon’t worry, this isn’t a parable about overcoming obstacles along the air-conditioned, controlled environment of an indoor rock-climbing wall. I’m not going to wax in a philosophical direction about lessons we can learn about adversity and determination while feeling for the next handhold. I wouldn’t do that to you. No, I’m going to talk
What’s Your Rock-Climbing Wall? Read More »
informed informality