Managing Conflict

by Brandie Jones | Blog, Career Development, Leadership, Relationships

“So why do we avoid conflict?”  This was a question I posed to a group of very sharp thinkers at a leadership workshop I was facilitating recently in New Mexico. The answers:  “To look good”  “To be liked”  “To feel better (temporarily) about myself”  “To be known as...

How to Handle Difficult Conservations In The Workplace

by Brandie Jones | Blog

Difficult conversations: We all have them. In fact, think of a recent uncomfortable situation. Did you move towards or against the issue?  Why? If we intellectually know that moving away from an issue does not minimize it or make it go away, why do we struggle? Over...

How to Identify a Peak Performer

by Brandie Jones | Blog

So before you say, “Sheesh, Brandie, I’ve read the same ‘ol stuff on this subject!” , I ask that you please read on a bit. I know, I know, this is a topic in a popular industry sales training piece, and we often use the title to empower OR beat up on our teams.  But...

Stereotypes in the Insurance World

by Brandie Jones | Blog, Insurance

In my opinion, we have stereotypes for a reason; that they are made up because of the common, humorous, or general behaviors of some that make us generalize or stereotype. Let’s take the insurance industry for example: If I’m referring to gender, you will tell me that...

Get Off The X Date

by Brandie Jones | Blog

This article was originally published in the February 2016 issue of IA Magazine (pages 48-51). Click here to download a PDF of Powerhouse's Learning feature in IA Magazine. What kind of relationships are you building? If they're the kind where you tell people all the...

The Importance of Vision

by Brandie Jones | Blog

Vision.  In the present environment, the word vision can deteriorate into a mere buzzword, which has lost its import and impact to influence the future of the organization. We don’t think that the importance of having a vision has diminished. On the contrary, we...