How can you tell if someone is listening to you? I mean truly paying attention and comprehending the words you are saying? Being present has become a profound topic because we seem to come up with more distractions all the time.

When I’m asked to speak to groups, one of the first topic areas selected is often “managing conflict.” I surmise that could be due to one of two things: Either they want to be prepared to handle conflict when it arises or they have a large amount of conflict that has already arisen.

On the farm or ranch, there are many times when we find ourselves in situations where we have to question our right versus our moral obligation to take a particular action. There are still deals made on a handshake or based on someone’s word.