Brian Higley

http://www.thebuildingblockstoexcellence.com

Brian Higley

Recognized as a leader in the area of positive and permanent change, Dr. Brian Higley brings a unique mix of business, research, and psychological expertise to Excellence Tree.

A graduate of The University of Florida with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and Baldwin-Wallace college with a B.S. in Psychology, Brian played many roles while completing his education. While at the University of Florida, Brian was awarded the prestigious Ted Landsman Award, recognizing excellence in the promotion and research of human growth and development. While at Baldwin-Wallace, Brian captained the OAC Tournament basketball champions and received numerous athletic and academic awards, including the Clyde Lamb Award given to the outstanding student-athlete of the year. While pursuing his degrees, Brian also started two companies, helped to coordinate an online education program, managed a research team focused on improving healthcare outcomes and co-founded his own research team focused on assisting individuals and teams with team excellence, personal effectiveness and job/life satisfaction. He has also received advanced training in leadership, management, negotiations, multi-theoritical approaches to personal and group change, and research methods.

Brian's corporate clients include professionals from a wide range of industries (from the Fortune 500 level to small family-owned businesses) including: advertising, insurance, business consultantation, manufacturing, service providers, accounting, health and fitness, banking and finance, law enforcement, mental health, lanscaping, and utilities. On an individual level, Brian has provided executive consultation for business and team leaders, educators, attorneys, entrepreneurs, psychologists and hospitality service managers. He also enjoys donating his time to a variety of charities and community service-oriented groups.

Brian has been recognized for his research and writing in areas including self-mastery (including motivation and self-management), interpersonal expertise (including communication and team-building) and mission connection (including strategic planning and execution). His current work includes a focus on deveoping trainings and and on-line tools that result in long-term, meaningful change in organizations, teams, families and individuals.

You can email him at BrianH@TBB2Excellence.com

 

Articles by Author

February 4th, 2010

Interpersonal Expertise Tip: Avoiding Unnecessary Conflict, Resolving Necessary Conflict

Many of us have been raised reading fairy tales that often end with the heroes living “happily ever after” once they have overcome “the bad guys.”  Contrary to the relationship myth of happily ever after, occasional friction in long-term relationships of all kinds (professional and personal) is often unavoidable, no matter how many interpersonal barriers (or “bad guys/ineffective habits”) are overcome.  This conflict can be draining and overwhelming if not handled with skill and care.  The good news is that if addressed well, interpersonal conflict can actually open the door to more effective and satisfying relations with others.

Because conflict in relationships is a given from time to time, it can be important to develop the ability to avoid unnecessary conflict while facing and resolving the necessary conflicts with others in our lives.  This can be done in three phases: (1)  identification of avoidable conflicts and minimization of such conflicts, (2) identification of unavoidable conflicts and genuine resolution of these conflicts, and (3) transformation of currently unavoidable conflicts into conflicts that can eventually become more avoidable in the future. Read the rest of this Article »

February 3rd, 2010

Interpersonal Expertise Tip: Affirming Similar Core Values

In order to have a truly satisfying relationship with other people we must know our core values (ways of thinking or behaving that we do not want to compromise on) and be able to identify and affirm these values in important others.  Having a clear idea of these values helps us and those around us to better know whether or not we can expect to have a smooth relationship or one that will consistently experience dissatisfying “road bumps.”  This Interpersonal Expertise Tip focuses on identifying core values in ourselves and others – and how affirm these values in ways that strengthen relationships.

Core values can be affirmed by becoming clear about our own values and helping others do the same.  If this is done thoroughly, the chances that we will be able to affirm similarities goes up significantly (longer lists of core values makes it more likely that at least one core value from each person’s list will overlap).  Here are some ways people have been able to affirm similar core values: Read the rest of this Article »

February 2nd, 2010

Interpersonal Expertise Tip: Appreciating (and Utilizing) Differences

So often, we can make the mistake of wanting everyone in our lives to be exactly like us; this desire can cause consistent problems in our relationships.  After all, surrounding ourselves with others who are exactly the same as us is a sure route to boredom and/or stagnation!  Some say that the answer is a more “tolerant” attitude toward those with differences, which can imply that we should simply put up with others’ differences so we can all survive together.

It is our position that true appreciation of differences (rather than simple toleration of them) comes from a realization of how useful our collective differences are to our collective ability to not only survive together, but to thrive.  This Interpersonal Expertise Tip focuses on identifying how our differences can be turned from annoyances or experiences to be tolerated to opportunities for satisfaction, achievement and/or growth – for all people involved. Read the rest of this Article »

February 1st, 2010

Interpersonal Expertise Tip: Utilizing Relationships to Increase Access to Our Potential (and Helping Others Do the Same)

One of the most popular lines in movie history is the famous “you complete me” line that Tom Cruise said to Renee Zellweger near the end of the movie “Jerry Maguire.”  This is a truly memorable movie line, but it can perpetuate one of the major myths to relationship satisfaction: the idea that significant others (business partners, friends, romantic partners) “complete” us.  It sounds nice at first, but what happens when that other person is not in our life (either temporarily or permanently)?  We are left as an incomplete person!  This Interpersonal Expertise Tip focuses on how to create relationships that help us to access more of our potential – rather than cultivate feelings of dependency – while also encouraging growth in significant others in our lives as well.

Allowing  our relationships to promote personal growth rather than dependency can be facilitated by a realization that such relationships can help us become more of who we already are (and provide the same opportunity to others).  Here are some ways people have been able to utilize their relationships to access more of their own potential and help others do so at the same time: Read the rest of this Article »

January 31st, 2010

Interpersonal Expertise Tip: Engaging in Shared Interests

Being able to find common interests is often a big key to successful and satisfying relationships.  It seems simple enough, but often times we get lost in all of the things that make us different – and can easily lose sight of interests that can bind us together.  This Interpersonal Expertise Tip focuses on learning how to identify common interests within our important personal and professional relationships, and how to put those common interests to work to strengthen our bonds with others.

Engaging in shared interests begins with the identification of what all parties genuinely enjoy doing and is strengthened by the commitment to participate in some of these interests together from time to time.  Here are some ways people have been able to strengthen their relationships through their common interests: Read the rest of this Article »

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