Liebster Award
I am thrilled to tell you that ConflictMastery Quest(ions) has been nominated for the Liebster Award by Anastasia Pryanikova. Anastasia is the brilliant and articulate author of The Brain Alchemist, which explores how our brains influence how we communicate with others and ourselves. Thank you so much for this honour Anastasia, and congratulations on being nominated yourself.
Anastasia is a lawyer turned peacemaker. She is also a speaking and presentation skills coach, linguist, new media strategist, life-long learner, and visionary. Anastasia is the founder of E-Studio, LLC, a coaching, training, and consulting company. More information on this multi-talented, generous, and overall wonderful woman and her work may be found here.
Here are the rules for the Liebster Award:
- Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog and link back to the blogger who presented this award to you.
- Answer the 10 questions from the nominator.
- Nominate 10 blogs and create 10 questions for your nominees.
Here are my answers to Anastasia’s 10 questions:
1. What inspired you to start blogging?
A number of years ago I became increasingly intrigued by the many ways to connect with others through social media. I enjoy meeting new friends and colleagues from around the world and the new and different ways of sharing and obtaining information.
It struck me that blogging may also provide a great forum to meet others interested in conflict (my coaching specialty). I had been thinking a lot about ways to impart what I was learning as a conflict management coach – specifically regarding the art of inquiry. So, I decided it would be fun and interesting to write and share on this topic.
2. What do you hope to achieve with your blog?
In my coaching practice I am continually in awe of the magic of questions and mostly, how they help clients shift from reactive approaches to their conflicts to more curious and reflective ones. This inspired me to consider how I might connect with others and share my learning with others who may have ways to also ‘pay it forward’.
Essentially then, it was and remains my hope that the ConflictMastery Quest(ions) blog will inspire people to view their interpersonal conflicts in different ways than they may otherwise do. More specifically, I hope that by presenting common conflict topics that subscribers may relate to in their lives and by asking self-reflective questions about them, they may gain increased understanding about their conflicts and their interactions within them.
By the same token, I also hope to provide tools for coaches, mediators, lawyers, leaders, psychologists, HR, union representatives, and others who help people find their way through conflict.
3. What are three attributes that best describe your blog?
Hmmm…I am thinking creative, insightful, and novel.
4. How do you nurture your creative side?
Great question. When I think about it some of my most creative thoughts come from mindful practices such as meditation. (I meditate at least once a day.) In fact, the idea for my blog came to me during a morning meditation.
Music and movement (dance, exercise), and just good old fashioned conversations with friends and others all nurture my creative side.
5. What are you reading right now?
I am reading Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect by Matthew D. Liebermann.
6. What are your preferred ways of getting the information you need?
Most of my research for the blog is through Wikipedia and Google. I read lots of blogs (including those Anastasia nominated) and articles (many obtained as recommendations through people I follow on Twitter).
I also obtain resources (books, articles, etc.) from people I interview to participate on teleseminars regarding conflict management coaching that I coordinate for the International Coach Federation and for the Association for Conflict Resolution.
Another way I get great information is through the Conflict Coaching Guild (LinkedIn) where the members generously share their wisdom and knowledge on conflict-related topics in response to my questions and those of others.
7. What do you like to do to unwind?
One of the main ways I unwind is I take dancing classes. Several years ago I hired a fabulous instructor who choreographs dances for me to my favourite contemporary music and music of the 80s. The dance steps and movement are meant to help build balance, flexibility, and coordination. It’s an invigorating and fun form of exercise.
The instructor not only teaches me how to do the dances, she also teaches me to teach others. And so I do (I teach a weekly class at a local studio).
I also love to cook and unwinding for me is going to the local market for fresh ingredients and trying out new recipes for friends and family.
8. What is your most ambitious goal or aspiration for 2014?
To finish another book I am writing. It is based on my blog – entitled Conflict Mastery Quest(ions).
9. What makes you happy?
As a starting point, I’d say I’m happy most of the time and the sorts of things that contribute to that (the order varying day to day) include being with my nephews and their families, teaching dance, listening to music (with book in hand, fire blazing in the fireplace, and my purring cat on top of me), being with good friends, cooking, writing, travel, knowing my work has a positive impact on others.
10. Anything else you would like to share?
I am honoured to be among incredible colleagues who were also nominated for this award. I like that we and others share bits of ourselves through social media and that I have had the pleasure of getting to know them and others I may not have – if it weren’t for blogs and social media.
The blogs I nominate for the Liebster Award (in no specific order):
- Change Your Team – Liane Davey
- Liz Kislik Associates – Liz Kislik
- Box of Crayons – Michael Bungay Stanier
- Brains on Purpose – Stephanie West Allen
- Leadership Freak – Dan Rockwell
- The RPM Project – Karen Hollett
- Actionable Books – Chris Taylor
- Mediator Academy – Aled Davies
- 3Q Leadership™ Blog – Irene Becker
- Strategic Monk – Greg Richardson
My ten questions for the nominees:
- What precipitated your interest in writing a blog?
- Which one of your blogs – in the past year – did you have the most enjoyment writing and why?
- What three pieces of advice do you give others interested in starting a blog?
- How do you reach prospective blog subscribers?
- What do you want subscribers to know about you that may or may not be reflected in your blog?
- What is the highest compliment someone could give you about your blog?
- What is the highest compliment someone could give you about you?
- What does your music playlist reflect about you and your values?
- When you are not writing blogs, what do you enjoy doing most?
- What was the first career/profession you named (to family, friends, yearbook, etc.) that you wanted to be when you grew up?
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