Others have already made the business case for humility quite compellingly. Jim Collins defined his “level 5” leader as someone with the powerful combination of personal humility and professional will, and Patrick Lencioni has listed humility as one of three characteristics of his “ideal team player.” Of course, believing that humility is important is one […]
In The Age of the Unthinkable, Joshua Cooper Ramo reflects on how our world is becoming more unstable and difficult to understand, a world characterized by unprecedented disruption and dislocation. His book is a fascinating survey of this theme, ranging from subatomic science to geopolitical strategy. It’s easier than ever to feel that things are […]
Scaling is about multiplying something, whether it’s a product, service, revenue, effort, or something else. There are many ways to scale, but whether they entail installing the latest software or hiring new workers, they have one quality in common: functionality. After all, to multiply the ends, you must increase the functional, productive means. Functionality is […]
One childhood day when I was playing tag with my sister, while she was chasing me, I ran into a wall. It really hurt. I walked the long way around the house to the front door, which my mother opened. Alarmed by the gash she saw in my forehead, she took me to the hospital […]
Out of the greatest darkness can come the brightest light. Such was the story of Viktor Frankl, the holocaust survivor who went on to pioneer a form of psychotherapy that reintegrated what had been lost by so many in the modern world: meaning. There are many who wake up every day without a clear sense […]
Failure is never fun. No one likes to lose. Yet we all experience defeat from time to time. We don’t hit our sales goals. We get into automobile accidents. We fail in relationships. The list goes on. But check out this thoughtful reflection by Francis T. Vincent, a former Commissioner of Major League Baseball: Baseball […]
I wonder sometimes how well we understand what freedom actually is. In exploring this subject, one helpful distinction is to reflect on the phrases “freedom to” and “freedom from.” If this topic speaks to you, you may want to pause in reading this and take two minutes to write those two phrases at the top […]
The greatest sources of our suffering are the lies we tell ourselves. —Elvin Semrad In The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker—embittered and cynical in response to his failures as a teacher—is reluctantly instructing a new student about the Force. He asks her what the Force is, and when Rey responds, Luke derisively replies: Amazing—everything you just said […]
When we have big decisions to make, one of the many factors to consider is stress. Big decisions introduce significant change into our systems, and this sort of change produces new pressure. One helpful tool in gauging our stress levels is the Holmes-Rahe Stress Scale. It’s a comparison of different life events that cause stress. […]
We move faster, farther, and more frequently today than ever before in human history. Sometimes relocation happens by necessity, but often it is by choice. Perhaps it is for new work or what seems like better work. Some move to be closer to family. Whatever the reason, moving is commonplace, especially among young adults. But […]