Eighteen years ago, 9/11/01. I was sitting with a friend having coffee when my wife, Pat, called to tell me that an airplane had just struck the World Trade Center. At first I didn’t understand, but as I listened to the radio I realized that the situation was grave, and that we needed to talk to our son, Adam, a reporter for Reuters in the heart of New York City. We needed to be sure he was safe. We sat for hours, watching …
This past July while vacationing with my family, I had a few moments of failing to be fully self-aware. Since self-awareness has been the backbone of my work for a long time, you may find it funny that I found myself in this humbling situation. Yet, I’m aware that I’m an imperfect work-in-progress. Part of my challenge is to learn to be more aware of seeing my mistakes, as learning opportunities. Ironically, shortly after my trip a reporter from FM Magazine called to interview me about my work on self-awareness …
What I Learned in May When someone is worried about you, take their concerns seriously. Since everyone hates meetings, why do people not have more discussions in their meetings to question the value in the meeting itself, and look for alternative ways to communicate and make decisions…or how to improve the meetings. One of the most dangerous things we can do at work is to get stuck in a point of view we are not willing to reconsider,even when a …
I often hear people saying, “I don’t have enough time.” I’ve believe what they really mean is “I don’t have enough energy.” As I coach, I first ask whether my clients feel engaged in their work. Then I ask about any family or health issues that may be preoccupying them. If there are some, I find out if there is any action they can take to resolve them. I also ask whether they are getting enough sleep, enough time at full rest, …
Ramblings from My Curious Mind May 2, 2019 would have been my mother, Irma’s, one-hundredth birthday. She would’ve been overjoyed knowing that we remembered her, lit a candle for her, and displayed her most beautiful picture for all the world to see. Being sick when you’re older, even with a common cold, is tougher to endure then when you’re younger. To get things done, you have to know who the decision-maker is. To get things done, you have to know …
Non-profits Serve and Strengthen the Community I strongly resonate with this quote from Steve Dobson, who for the past 30+ years has been extremely active as a board member in the non-profit sector: “The non-profit sector is generally efficient and effective, and focused on the right things. It’s a huge factor in life quality for almost everyone, but it’s badly undernourished — too many people who could be part of the solution stick to the sidelines and too few want to be out on …