Blogs
How Todays Trinity of Extremes Affects Us All
Yes, we live in a fast paced world. Yes, we are often at tipping points of stress. Yes, we can do better.“We are all in it together and no one wins unless we all do.†This mantra sounds good, however, for most of us it sounds naïve. Sometimes the world seems to be spinning out…
Magic Moments Best When Unexpected
Got on the bus. Waited. Got on another bus. Waited even longer. Had a bad feeling this paid in advance tour was going to disappoint. And it did. Almost. Tours to that revered site in Rome, the Vatican are expensive and seemingly necessary. Otherwise the lines can be hours long. The Vatican is a must…
Big Decisions, Little Decisions: Which Are More Important?
The quality of your life, personally and professionally, is based on how you make decisions. There is the old way and the new way: hint, the new way is actually older than the old way. The indigenous cultures all knew and still know that everything is connected. Somewhere along the way as we became “sophisticated…
Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?
I hear this plaintive cry from executives and middle managers all the time. I hear it from superintendents to elementary school teachers for at least ten months out of the year. Getting along is what we all want. Right? So, why does it seem almost impossible to get through even a few days without feeling…
Clear The Past To Free The Future: Life Stories Spoken Out Loud Heal Wounds From Our Unresolved Racial War
Charles sat down and wiped the perspiration from his forehead. He looked at the fifteen others in the room. He could not decide if he felt relieved or embarrassed. That was it. Finally, John broke the silence by saying quietly, “We are truly sorry. Thank you for your honesty and openness.†There was nothing more…
What Courage Looks Like
Twice a year we do a program for leaders and emerging leaders. It is a four session program spread over five months. Each time I include clips of leaders who have and continue to make a difference in our world. There are a few staples, like Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln. We choose from a…
The Downside Of Growing Your Organizational Culture
I was sitting having a quick dinner in Manhattan with some colleagues. The place was packed and the noise level high. Just a typical 6:30 p.m. time of workplace decompressing, after one of those typical rush and get it done days. At the table to the left we heard “No one should be forced to…
Do You Want To Change?
There is an old saying, “Technology changes, people don’t.†It’s kind of depressing to think that with all the good stuff at our finger tips, we are not much different from Neanderthal man and woman. Well, maybe we dress better. As social beings, everything we do is interactive and contextual. And yes, technology has changed…
Ain’t It Good To Be Alive
Last weekend we trekked to Manhattan for the season premiere of ALIVE: 55+ and Kicking. And what a day it was. Just being in the presence of the executive producer, Vy Higginsen would have been enough. However, the day brought so much that I simply want to stand up and applaud the entire cast and…
A Vital Missing Piece Of The Workplace Puzzle
Since most of us prefer information to be fast and direct, here is the missing puzzle piece right up front: what happened in our original organization, the family, goes with us to work…whether we like it or not. When I stumbled on this counter-intuitive nugget of knowledge it changed the direction of my career to…
Powerful And GUTSY
I have a birth to announce. Beautiful babies come in various packages. Some in the warm skin of an infant son or daughter. Others as works of art, music, photography, dance, the written word. Joan Scharff just gave birth to a wonderful book of poems and pictures. I met her several years ago when she…
Leadership Lessons How To Raise Healthy Kids To Be Excellent Leaders
We know all the basics: lots of fresh air, sleep, fruits and vegetables, friendships, and loving parents. There is one extra area that works like a charm. It is kids teaching kids. You see, too much adult supervision and youngsters stop listening. All they hear is blah, blah, blah. And more than that, there is…
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