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I have a sign over the desk in my home office that says, Simplify, Simplify, Simplify. It’s part of a favorite Thoreau line: “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, not as a hundred or a thousand.” Simplicity is one of my…

In our day-to-day lives, we are bound to encounter people who lack empathy. It might be the person in line ahead of us haranguing the stressed-out grocery store clerk, or the Facebook warrior calling people names in the comment section. And each of us, at one time or another, has done harm to someone else…

My vehicle was at the service department for a minor manufacturer recall so I took the opportunity to ask the technician to look at a separate issue that I was concerned about. The separate issue was taken seriously and looked at. It turned out to be a larger issue than I was entertaining, and the…

New technologies (and new ideas) often take me by surprise. In 2015, I was driving home from the dealership with a brand-new car, riding high on that feeling of perfect freshness. I saw a red light and coasted to a stop. Right on cue, the engine cut out; right on cue, I panicked, thinking my…

Radical generosity has been gaining popularity in recent years, particularly within the leadership community. It refers to the act of giving freely, without expectation of receiving anything in return. An abundant mindset is the wellspring of generosity. Those who believe there is enough for everyone have a deep trust that sharing their resources, knowledge, and…

A good friend once told me that she’s a good friend because she can openly disagree, share a different perspective and not polarize or alienate me in the process. I married that woman and she’s been my best friend for many, many years. Upon reflection, it seems that life would be so much easier if…

Everything in our lives starts with vision – the possibility thinking regarding what could be. It could be as grand as President Kennedy’s vision of “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely,” or as simple as having a good day. Visioning awakens and energizes us to what is possible, and I think…

For my regular readers, you know I am interested in and sometimes write about human motivation as it relates to leadership. An understanding of what motivates us and why we choose to lead (and conduct many other activities and behaviors) can assist us in developing and improving. Underneath that interest in motives is simply a…

I’ve been testing out an intuitive feeling regarding resource utilization in organizations –the feeling that most people are underutilized. I can hear the rumblings already from those who are feeling both overworked and overwhelmed, but that’s the point. While some people seem to get rewarded for good work with more work, there are many in…

Like many people, I need to be inspired to make a change in my life. Sometimes the change is a pain I want to avoid or remedy, and often it is something I want to improve. I am something of an inspiration junkie, so I make change best when I am inspired by something or…

Top-performing athletes have systems in place to give them feedback around levels of strain, recovery, and sleep so they can improve their performance and reach their fullest potential. It makes sense when we think about this regarding our favorite teams or players and yet, unfortunately, we often fall short of applying this practice to the…

What I am about to declare is ungrounded. I’m going to say it anyway. Retirement and college degrees are outdated concepts of the 20th century. First, retirement. I turn 65 years old in a few weeks and I am tiring of hearing versions of a few of the following questions: When are you going to…

/risk/ A situation involving exposure to danger Recently a friend asked, “What risks are you planning to take over the next year?” I thought about it for a moment and realized this was one of the most profound queries I’d had in a long time. Planning to take risks seems counterintuitive to my safety-seeking personality,…

A question that many growing organizations wrestle with is whether they want to grow their leadership team from existing staff (internal candidates) or source new talent (external candidates) with demonstrated leadership experience. There is understandably a sense of mutual loyalty and value in providing existing employees with opportunities for growth and development. However, sometimes leaders…

The month of December has, through the years, come to represent celebration – the time of year to gather with loved ones, friends and colleagues in joy and peace, to look at once backward and forward and to reflect on the present. At Emergent, we are reflecting on the values of relationships, trust, contribution, and…

Have you ever approached a 4-way intersection simultaneously with three other vehicles? It happens to me sometimes at an intersection near my home. It’s the type of intersection that has four stop signs and no traffic light, and when four vehicles arrive at the same time, there is often a moment of observing the other…

Thanksgiving is a time where we create a strategic pause to be thankful, to be grateful, and to reflect in gratitude for all we know, have and love. While most of us try to incorporate gratitude, at least peripherally, every day of the year, Thanksgiving is when we actually put it on the calendar, front…

“The attainment of the carpenter is that his work is not warped, that the joints are not misaligned, and that the work is truly planned so that it meets well and is not merely finished in sections. This is essential.” – Miyamoto Musashi, “The Book of Five Rings.” Each year I set reading goals for…

In a recent panel discussion for the local chapter of ATD, a participant asked for a list of what she called “Ralphisms” – evidently, I’ve become somewhat famous for always having a catchy phrase or saying at the ready, accumulated through the years and intended to both shift people’s thinking and be easy to remember.…

The pandemic has had a major impact on how we work – from where we do it, to how we measure success. We’ve necessarily shifted into efficiency mode, but can we be as effective, productive, and satisfied with our accomplishments? If those benchmarks were historically driven by a traditional work environment, can we see them…