Michael S. Haro, Ph.D.

Michael S. Haro, Ph.D., is a coach, behaviorist and training specialist. He taught at the University of Houston–Clear Lake, was a licensed psychologist in private practice, consulted and provided training to private, public and government organizations. In his 28-year career as a management consultant, Dr. Mike worked with organizations such as NASA, Entergy, Frontier Oil, Bank One, Shell, Monsanto and Raytheon, where he designed and implemented programs for behavior management, behavior safety, employee development, customer service and human error reduction training. Dr. Mike is now semi-retired. He still engages in coaching opportunities, primarily using telephone, Skype and FaceTime sessions. His goal is to continue serving others using "self-coaching", a process he developed.

Articles by Michael S. Haro, Ph.D.

• Building blocks of life: Change, choice, principles

  Thursday, April 21, 2016

  Change, choice and principles are foundational pillars for building and managing life's journey. Change is a life constant. One thing you can depend on is that things will change. Change is a challenge and blessing wrapped in the same package.

• You can’t control change, but you can control how you react to it

  Friday, April 08, 2016

  We celebrate and congratulate those graduating from educational institutions, those getting married and those embarking on new aspects of their lives. Change is occurring, and we are guaranteed one thing in life — change will happen, no matter what age we are or what we are doing. What matters is how we think about change and how we manage it.

• The challenge of managing change

  Thursday, March 24, 2016

  As a child, I remember my dad telling me there was one thing I could count on, and that is "things will change." At the time, I wasn't sure what he was saying, but now realize the meaning of his words. My father emigrated from Spain at the age of 18, leaving behind his family and familiar way of life, and entering a "foreign world with changing opportunities." Using his example, I'd like to expand on this idea — the fact that managing change is an opportunity.

• Rewarding failure hinders personal growth

  Thursday, March 10, 2016

  Lack of discipline. Not paying attention to what one is doing. Unwillingness to listen, develop and grow. These are all ways of defeating ourselves before we even get out of the starting gate. Life is our avenue to success. It can be an avenue with rays of sunlight, birds singing, smiles from friends or strangers, or a phone call from a special someone. All are signs along the roadside of our journey. They allow us to witness love, experience unconditional love and trust, and overcome doubts and fears. We learn to see more clearly that failure is a momentary status, to overcome with new direction and effort.

• Accident prevention: What’s it going to take?

  Friday, February 12, 2016

  ​The news media are consumed with critical incidents in the workplace. Before these incidents are thoroughly investigated and reported on, media outlets jump in, aiding and abetting emotional aspects that incite and seemly encourage an outpouring of negative behaviors.

• Integrity builds the foundation of who you are

  Tuesday, January 26, 2016

  The basic ingredients for growth and development are food, water and rest. These elements fuel, nourish and propel your physical needs. Proper amounts of each contribute to physical development and support mental functioning.

• 5 keys for employee coaches after a critical incident

  Monday, January 11, 2016

  Critical incidents offer an opportunity for supervisors to be a coach. Employees facing after-effects of an incident generally benefit from assistance, support and possible direction offered by a coach. A supervisor who knows current situations and his/her employees is in a good position to offer this assistance.

• The safety benefits of peer-to-peer observations

  Friday, December 11, 2015

  ​We constantly demonstrate behaviors that are observable to others. In a workplace, these observations are significant for preventing accidents and injuries and need to be encouraged, supported and taken seriously. Peers (co-workers) are critical to the implementation and success of observation, feedback and safe work practices.

• Behavior safety: A health and safety benefit

  Thursday, December 03, 2015

  Behavior safety is gaining recognition and value in the industrial arena. During its introductory years, it was not uncommon for employees to refer to behavior programs as the "flavor of the month" as it was an addition to the safety program.

• Workplace behavior safety: Problem or solution?

  Thursday, November 19, 2015

  For the better part of my professional career, I have focused on helping people explore behavior applications that enrich their lives. Success has been measured and has provided me with a great deal of personal acceptance and satisfaction.

• Teaching behavior safety is just ‘common sense’

  Thursday, November 05, 2015

  Behavior safety is "common sense." To understand why, let's start by comparing computer hardware and software — another common-sense issue. For a computer, hardware makes it an object. Sitting there, it gives an appearance of significance. It even scares some people by its appearance, and what we've been told it can do. Yet it has little value if it only occupies space on a desk. Without software, it's worthless.

• Take off your mask and learn how to deal with change

  Thursday, October 22, 2015

  Many of us wear masks daily — not just on Halloween. Think about how we surrender to our thoughts, sometimes exposing them, often using "our masks" to hide or divert true feelings. Sadly, when these masks are worn, the true self is hidden, and there is a tendency to slip into our own fantasy.

• Understanding life seasons and critical incidents

  Wednesday, October 07, 2015

  Our daily lives can be compared to the four seasons: fall, winter, spring and summer. October starts the fall season, which brings change from preceding months of hot, simmering weather. Fall is a beautiful time of the year with leaves changing colors, the cool briskness of the mornings, and the clear, colder nights. With all this beauty, we also experience early darkness and time change, indicators of dreariness brought on by overcast days, rain and early cold spells.

• Why it helps to know yourself

  Thursday, September 24, 2015

  In the 1970s, a song entitled "To Know You Is to Love You" was released. The message is important because it references knowledge as power. Though the knowledge referenced in the song is superficial, it provides hope and direction, leading the listener to a better place. When encountering a serious situation or event, the powerlessness that is experienced comes from a lack of knowledge, or "not knowing."

• Contempt vs. praise: Managing your behavior

  Wednesday, September 09, 2015

  It's a warm Saturday afternoon, and your son is playing in the finals of his soccer league. You are one of many spectators present to cheer on the two teams — Contempt and Praise. Which team is your son playing on? Let's see if we can figure it out from the following rendition of the match.

• Undoing stuck behavior and fear of change

  Thursday, August 27, 2015

  Have you ever caught yourself saying: "Why do things have to change? I've just gotten used to doing it this way." If so, then you are probably getting older. Resistance to change is not so much a negative as it is a fear of the unknown: "If I do change, or even make suggested adjustments, what's that going to do to my patterned lifestyle?" Yes, the fear of change — whatever your age — can be a block that limits your ability to truly live in the present.

• Shadow boxing: A nontoxic resistance to eliminate

  Tuesday, August 04, 2015

  When you encounter a challenge, do you find yourself angry and out of sorts? If so, you are "shadow boxing" with a condition over which you have little-to-no control. When shadow boxing, you are expending energy against an object that is not real or immediately present. Your blows are blasting air modules that offer no resistance. Initially, "nontoxic resistance" is harmless. But continuing to battle this nontoxic state over time with no management or resolve will wear you down.

• Overcome others’ objections and choose your own path forward

  Thursday, July 23, 2015

  Others observe our behavior, and at times object to what they think we are doing. It is important for each of us to think and understand what we are doing, and why we are doing it. My favorite slogan is "As you think, so you go." Active thinking is the key. When actively thinking, I am aware of my thoughts, understand what I am thinking, and focused on what I'm doing. I am engaged and in control. What about you?

• 4 ways to build character through challenges

  Wednesday, July 08, 2015

  Challenges are nothing more than conditions over which we have little to no control. When they occur, it's not the condition that stops us. It's how we decide to manage it, or let it manage us.

• 3 levels of understanding human error

  Thursday, June 25, 2015

  Accidents happen when we least expect them. Generally attributed to human error, gaining a better understanding of this condition will aid in its prevention. Human error, usually resulting from not being focused on what you are doing, is the cause of most accidents that occur. It is a momentary lapse of thought that results in an accident. When thoughts start to drift, especially while engaged in a potentially dangerous activity, an accident is waiting to happen.

• Human performance — ‘Where’s the beef?’

  Thursday, June 11, 2015

  Remember the Wendy's commercial "Where's the beef?" Human performance can be compared to a sandwich with the “beef” being the heart of productivity, the employees. The top of the sandwich is senior management, and the bottom or base, the supervisors.

• How distractions cause stress and impede your ability to function

  Thursday, May 28, 2015

  If you are easily distracted, your level of stress likely rises with these distractions. In this state, your potential for making poor decisions and mistakes increases. Leaders and managers constantly face their share of distractions, so it's important to know how to handle them in the appropriate manner.