In a recent conversation with one of my clients, he shared that his business showed a growth in sales during the pandemic of 2020 that had defied all expectations. Furthermore, he had just become acquainted with someone he sensed would have high potential as a member of his team, but hiring is a big decision, […]
The deadline for mailing gifts to arrive in time for Christmas is quickly approaching. If you’re lucky, you may receive a very personal gift during this holiday season. Even if you’re not so fortunate as to get a hand-knitted scarf from a friend who took up yarn-wrangling during the pandemic, you’ll probably receive something. You’ll […]
In the school of adversity,ª you sometimes get your knuckles rapped. Sometimes it’s your fault. Sometimes it’s another person’s fault. And sometimes, it’s no one’s fault; it’s just life. In any case, the pain is real. And sometimes those knuckles can throb for quite a while. The big question is: how will we deal with […]
It’s human nature to take the easy way, to watch a movie rather than go for a run. To avoid that difficult conversation rather than to initiate it. To present the set of numbers that makes us look best rather than the metrics that are actually most important. Deep down, we know it doesn’t do […]
We are approaching a political election in a tumultuous time of pandemic and civil unrest. Hoping to gain some clarity for myself ahead of Election Day, I’m rereading a classic over the next week or so. I’m sharing my reflections on it here in case they may be helpful to you also. One of the […]
In A Primer for Forgetting,ª Lewis Hyde quotes the artist Agnes Martin regarding a problem of the intellect: It’s “the servant of ego,” she says, and “everybody’s born 100% ego; after that it’s just adjustment.” Martin eschews facts and ideas to cultivate a quiet, empty mind primed for inspiration. Nice for an artist, you may […]
The loss of actor Chadwick Boseman at the relatively young age of 43 is truly sad. Yet as we remember him in this moment of U.S. history, he gives his fans a parting gift in his portrayal of leadership in Black Panther, a story that expresses some of the societal themes with which we are […]
If you were walking through the woods and saw a bear, which then turned to look at you, I hope you would feel some fear.ª The function of fear is to protect us from threats. Those pursuing power and greatness sometimes come to believe that the greater or more powerful they are, the less they […]
There’s a lot of effort put into forecasting—from the stock market and customer behavior, to the weather and the amount of material a company should order for manufacturing wool socks if the winter will be an especially cold one. Accurate prediction can be a powerful tool for management. But in human relationships and leadership, prediction […]
It was perhaps in the 7th century that John of Karpathos wrote: It is most necessary and helpful for the soul to endure with fortitude every tribulation…We should recognize that our sufferings are no more than we deserve, and we should never blame anyone but ourselves. For whoever blames others for his own tribulations has […]