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It seems we often start new relationships with common questions – “Where are you from? What do you do? Where do you live now?” These questions are considered socially safe, predictable and expected. However, these safe questions are often slow starters – or worse, non-starters – for meaningful connection. Having recently moved to a new…

I studied economics as an undergraduate over 40 years ago, and remember very little from that experience with the exception of one principle – the unequal distribution of wealth, studied by an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto. Some of you have come to know this idea as the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule. In his…

Last month, I wrote about my experience in Kenya and particularly how a pride of lions reminded me of effective teams and strong leadership. Today’s blog is about something my niece and I learned from the guides in Serengeti and the mutual beneficial relationships between different species of animals. After being in Kenya for about…

The need to progress – to practice CANI, or Constant, Never-Ending Improvement – is an ever-present need in our lives, both personal and professional. Between social media and the fact of information literally at our fingertips, knowing what we should be reading, watching, researching or listening to can be confusing and often overwhelming. We often…

I just returned from a 16-day trip in East Africa, and there were two things that I loved most: first, meeting the people of Kenya and Tanzania and the opportunity to learn about different cultures; and second, the experience of observing and being with all the different animals and birds that live in the game…

This past weekend I dropped off a few items of clothing at the dry cleaner. As I was waiting for my receipt to print (it actually took less than 5 seconds), the cashier began apologizing profusely for the computer being so slow and for making me wait. I was taken aback by her response. At…

For years I have been influenced and living by Stephen Covey’s definition of effectiveness – getting what you want in a way that enables you to get what you want again, and again, and again. This definition suggests the importance of balancing time and energy in getting results and, even more importantly, in strengthening your…

I recently overheard a small group of business leaders commiserating about a project that wasn’t proceeding as well as anticipated. They all seemed to be in a spirit of supporting one another, as we so often do when we trust colleagues with our frustrations and complaints. This can be healthy, of course, the opportunity to…