I was at a "parents' night out" dinner at a restaurant the other night. As we sat down to eat, the server came over to take our drink order. One of the moms picked up the beer and wine list and ordered a lager on tap. The server told her that the beer was no longer available and the mom said: "Oh! I'm sorry!" before she picked another beer.

Awkward conversations. Nobody likes them. Everybody has to have them at some point. Over the past several weeks, I found myself needing to have awkward conversations both personally and professionally. Although these conversations are never fun or easy, I have learned how to make them go smoothly -- for all parties involved.

At my old job, I often didn't see colleagues who worked in different practice groups. We sat on different floors and would likely only interact in passing or at firm functions. There was one woman who I'd see here or there, but found her intimidating. She was senior to me and worked on mass tort cases with high stakes. She seemed very "no nonsense." I assumed she didn't know my name.

Seriously, is "should" a four-letter word? I know, I know -- it has six letters. But what I mean is, do we need to wash this word out of our mouths with soap as if we used an expletive? I'm more offended by the self-harm this word inflicts than use of a real swear word.