I was thrilled and delighted last week to have my 18 month-old grand daughter, Ada, visit us. For much of the week she was preoccupied, trying to learn a very difficult task: putting on her high-top baby shoes by herself. She tried forwards, backwards, undoing the laces, and finally just trying to jam her foot inside the shoe. Even though she did not succeed, I know she eventually will because she is learning the crucial skill of persistence. She will keep …
Six weeks into the new academic year, and here comes the stress. Sunlight fading, holidays almost upon us, end of the year financial pressures: it’s a full court press state of stress. Here are Dr. Rob’s favorite tips for managing the stress of fall. First of all, recognize that stress itself won’t kill you – it’s how you think about stress that’s the problem. 2. Recognize that applied appropriately, stress can be positive as a motivator to take care of …
More and more we are all looking for tools to help us deal with the ever-increasing demands on our time and energy. We’re trying to keep four or five balls in the air – and living in fear that if we drop one, all will come tumbling down. As Americans, we don’t have a good track record on juggling. Traditionally, we’ve focused too much on work, while ignoring the fact that if we drop that ball – if we lose …
Each week in my Interpersonal Relations class at the UM College of Engineering and the Center for Entrepreneurship, I bring in a speaker from the community. Last week the class hosted the President and CEO of the Ann Arbor Art Center , Marie Klopf, and the students absolutely loved her. She shared with them her experiences as an engineer, an entrepreneur, an angel investor, as well as most recently a leader in the arts community of Ann Arbor. Three of the engineering students interviewed her …
Today Dr. Rob features author, Tracy Brower, who was the presenter last week at Rob Pasick’s Leaders Connect Breakfast at Zingerman’s Roadhouse (sponsored by Zingerman’s and Bank of Ann Arbor). At a time when American workers are stressed by the increasingly impossible demands of their employees, Dr. Brower’s message is about how creating a supportive and humane work environment is good for business. This is essential reading for our leaders to consider.Dr. Rob Dr. Tracy Brower is the author of Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for …
Last week, the Michigan University Musical Society, lead by Ken Fischer, was honored with the National Medal of Arts from President Obama at the White House. For my friend, Ken, this was the fulfillment of a dream come true. In my classes at the Business School and the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan, I teach my students that we all have an opportunity to make our dreams come true. As an exercise, I ask the students to share their dreams with their fellow …