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I am currently reading a book, Four Thousand Weeks; Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. The Author is aligned in his thinking with my good friend, Rich Sheridan, author of Chief Joy Officer. Rich presented last week at Leaders Connect breakfast. You can see his video here. In his book, “Chief Joy Officer”, Rich emphasized that to have joy in life, one must have a purpose. Furthermore, one must have discipline, which requires effective management of time. The same message is a theme of “Four Thousand Weeks”. Four thousand weeks …

Some leaders achieve success by intimidation. It may work for a while, but like any dictatorship, it’s not sustainable. You can’t just look at results; you have to look below the surface. Once a child reaches the age of 2 or 3, it’s difficult to force that child to do something that he or she doesn’t want to do. If you try and force them to eat strained peas, every parent knows that the peas are coming right back out, …

On April 22 I’m proud to present Rich Sheridan, discussing his book Chief Joy Officer. As the first book in Dr. Rob‘s Leaders Read series, Rich will be describing how, as leaders, we can bring joy to our workplaces, while creating positive and productive work environments. This event will take place on Zoom from 8:00 am – 9:00 am. Register for the Event Here If you can, please read Richard’s book before he presents it to Leaders Connect. Fortunately, for those …

No matter what the excuse, to resort to violence because one feels disrespected or one’s spouse has been disrespected is completely out of line. Feeling disrespected it’s just a feeling. We must recognize it as our own tender egos that get us worked up. We have to remind ourselves that someone else’s behavior is their problem. We have no need to make it ours. We must pledge to ourselves that we will never resort to violence when we get angry. …

A few weeks ago, I had a highly unsettling memory. I had been reading about Mr. Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons if the war in Ukraine escalated. In my memory, I am a five-year-old child in first grade at Jackson Elementary School in Oak Park Michigan. I hear the voice of the principal, Mr. Street, coming over the PA. He announces that we are about to have a test. He says, “don’t be worried, this is only a test.” …

In March we are celebrating Women’s History Month. Throughout my career, I have had the great fortune to have known and to have been taught and mentored by several outstanding women. In recognition, I take great pleasure today in celebrating the life of my friend and mentor, Ann Hartman, who passed away recently at the age of 95. I knew Ann from the time she recruited me in 1979  to join the newly founded Ann Arbor Center For The Family. At …