Praise is not the answer, unity is When we talk about ways to make people feel valued, we are quick to suggest praise as a solution. As one of my mentors said, “For every slap in the face, give ’em two pats on the back.” However, the more I dig…

The true cost of workaholism and the quest for fulfilling work. — I’m going to skip the hook on this one. Workaholism is real. And it’s a problem. Some may believe that feeling compelled to work and perseverating about work and obliterating reasonable expectations and boundaries despite the negative toll of work work work is a sign of the kind of obsession…

Three lessons learned and three leadership challenges. — My first piece of 2023 might be my shortest. New years come with a lot of noise, so I figure less is more. Here are three important lessons I learned (or relearned) in 2022, and my leadership challenges for 2023. Cheers. Lessons Learned Morning and evening rituals are the bookends to good living “Things which matter most must never be at the…

In 2021, 47.8 million people quit their jobs in the US, a phenomenon known as the “Great Resignation.” 53% went on to change their field of work. It’s been a challenging time, and many of us have wondered if the grass is greener on the other side. We’ve been grasping…

Most days of the week, you probably walk through a doorway. Or a threshold, sans door. Some thresholds are more significant than others, marking a transition or triggering an associated feeling. Here are a few of mine: The threshold to the room I write in The front door to my…

What do you want? And do you have the discipline to achieve it? — What do I want? A dangerous question. Sometimes, it leads to shortcuts and temptations. The extra drink, the second or third or fifth TV show, a new jacket to match your dark pants on cold days, a magic elixir that promises to substitute for nutrition and exercise. Once you wade…

There are lots of leadership formulas out there. Are you a replica leader or the real deal? Do you know the truth of leadership development? — According to the VIA Institute on Character, “social intelligence” is the strength of being aware of the motives and feelings of others and oneself, knowing what to do to fit into different social situations, and knowing what makes other people tick. Also according to the VIA Institute, of my 24…

Few people look forward to difficult conversations. Even fewer are good at leading them. Some people are too worried about pleasing everyone, so they avoid them all together. Their solution is to do nothing because then no one will be upset (though they don’t realize that they are catering to…

Guns — and the people holding them — continue to murder children and steal their futures. Every child deserves to go to school without the possibility of an active shooter looming in their minds. And no, I don’t think the solution is to turn school staff into militias. Gun advocates…