Have you ever wondered why it is so much easier to view strangeness with suspicion than it is to embrace it as a positive and exciting new experience? There are some biological reasons why this is so for humans.  And, as a species capable of self-reflection, I believe it is our responsibility to be aware of why we tend to view strange people and strange behavior not only with suspicion but often as a threat and to do our very best not to be hijacked by those subconscious tendencies.

Laura C. Smythe, is CEO of Communication Connections, LLC and works in that role as an Organizational Culture Diagnostician building upon her years of experience as a mediator, attorney, professor, coach and trainer.  She is a former Executive Director of a community mediation center and has mediated a tremendous variety of disputes and practiced law for over 18 years.  In her role with Communication Connections, LLC, Smythe works with businesses and organizations of all sorts to diagnose their culture and to mindfully work through a change plan to create a culture of transparent and responsible conflict management (including prevention of workplace bullying), ethical decision-making, and ethical leadership.  Smythe trains nationally, serves the Wisconsin Supreme Court as an appointed volunteer investigator for claims of attorney misconduct, serves on the NAFCM Board of Directors and on the Board of Directors of the Dispute Resolution Section of the Wisconsin State Bar.