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As Westerners, we tend to subscribe to either Freudian psychology (everything we deal with is trauma-based) or Jamesian psychology (will-power will get us through just about anything). What an interesting dichotomy … it’s either happened to us and we’re a victim or we can use our willpower to get to a better outcome. Yet absolute…

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…

I was recently searching for an inspirational video while designing a workshop for a client. I wanted to find something new, contemporary and – by the client’s request – “inspirational.” I know enough about inspiration to ask the important questions, and interviewed the client to better gauge the standard they had in mind. My question…

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…

Have you ever experienced not getting a reply in a timely manner? Maybe it’s a voicemail you left for someone several days ago, an unanswered email sent yesterday, or a text you sent this morning that remains unanswered or not replied to. We seem to have unconscious expectation of the expected reply time related to…

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…

Research shows us that most people underestimate what they can do in the long-term and overestimate what they can do in the short-term. As a result, many of us overfill our days with too many activities. I have  been studying this for a long time, and although I have made great strides in blocking time…