Getting Social with Miriam- Spreading the Influence with Kathleen Paris

Consultant Kathleen A. Paris, Ph.D., will be interviewed today, and her book, Staying Healthy in Sick Organizations: The Clover Practice™ (BookSurge, 2008), was the business “Book of the Month” on bookreview.com for nearly a year. Dr. Paris asserts that a large percentage of modern workplaces are emotionally unhealthy places. In spite of this, Paris says, people can find peace of mind and reduced stress following The Clover Practice™. “We don’t have to wait for other people or ‘the system’ to change to have healthier work lives ourselves.” 

The Clover Practice™ comes from Paris’s 20-plus years as a management consultant and, like a clover, consists of three principles:

Tell the Truth, Always

Speak for Yourself

Declare Your Interdependence

All three of these principles are simple, but not easy to live. 

New Book Aims for Less Workplace Stress

Paris teaches that talking to others about how things look from your perspective based on what you have heard and seen and experienced is a much better way to be heard than telling people they are careless, uncooperative, clueless, unprofessional, incompetent, etc. “If you make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and are willing to entertain other views, you are more likely to be heard. In any work situation, there are as many ‘truths’ as people in the room,” says Paris.