IN MY TOOL BAG: Unresolve! Divest Yourself of What No Longer Serves
I am not a big fan of new year resolutions. Yes, I am a very goal-driven person, but the idea of adding more commitments to an already full list of promises I’ve made to myself and others stresses me out. If you follow my blog you know that I am a fan of a book […]
ON MY MIND: Coming Back Together (Part 3)
If you have read part 1 and part 2 of this blog about coming back together, you have probably asked yourself the questions: What does coming together actually look like in the face of charged political differences? How do we build empathy and understanding across differences without avoiding our honest disagreements? A new short documentary […]
ON MY MIND: Coming Back Together (Part 2)
After describing the dynamics of polarization in a previous blog, this second installment will highlight Parker Palmer’s essay entitled, “Five Habits to Heal the Heart of Democracy.” It contains important insights on how we come back together in our families, work places, communities and our country. I’m taking some liberties with these five habits to […]
ON MY MIND: Coming Back Together (Part 1)
Nearly everywhere I look I see communities, families, and friends mired in division, derision, and despair. Increasingly, we talk about those who are working toward different outcomes not as our opponents but as our enemies. And when it comes to enemies, we feel self-justified in doing whatever we must in order to win. We live […]
IN MY EARBUDS: If you don’t decide what matters, someone else will do it for you
A while back I wrote a review of a wonderful book entitled Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. The book is about consciously choosing where to invest one’s time and energy in order to feel fulfilled and make a true contribution. My summary of the author’s premise is this: Most of us […]
IN MY EARBUDS: Behind the Scenes of Speeches Made by Remarkable Leaders
Words matter. Ideas can inspire. And, the ability of a leader to recognize what needs to be said — and how to say it — in a critical moment is a unique gift. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham, It Was Said takes us into various inflection points in America’s history via the speeches […]
IN MY EARBUDS: Where Workplace Dynamics Meet Therapy
Most of us carry the very same blind spots, limiting beliefs, and relational habits to work as those we demonstrate in our personal relationships. And, for better and worse, those patterns impact the people around us – our employees, our colleagues, and our business partners. Or as the host of the podcast How’s Work? likes […]
ON MY MIND: The Power of the Pause
When I was 16 years old a neighbor took me fly fishing. When we got to the river bank the first thing he explained was this: “These rocks are slippery. So, if you lose your balance and fall into the river, don’t fight it. There’s no use fighting with gravity or the river’s current. So, […]
ON MY MIND: Good Work is Not the Same as Hard Work
Ease (noun): The absence of difficulty or effort; simplicity. One day, in later life, I found myself on the acupuncture table exhausted from a thrown out back. As I lay there, I worried about all of the productive work time I was losing. Imetai, my acupuncturist must have sensed my escalating heart rate. He knew […]
FROM MY BOOK SHELF: My Three Go-to Books During Difficult Times
A friend recently asked me what books I turn to during difficult times. An apt question these days. One that caused me to realize that there are three books that I always keep close at hand. I often travel with these books, re-reading the many passages I have underlined and the personal notes I’ve made […]