The findings of a recent study by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research indicate the behavior of others can influence traits like laziness. Since I was a child, I’ve heard the caution, “You’re known by the company you keep”. As a teenager, I scoffed at the idiom, “birds of a feather flock …
I refused to smile for my high school senior portrait. I thought it would make me look “cool” to deny my natural inclination to smile. And for a 17-year-old, it’s all about looking cool. News flash: a stern demeanor doesn’t make you look cool [professional] [smart] [serious]. It makes you look stern. The Power of …
Unintimidatable. Now there’s a $50 word. It has popped up numerous times as I was writing about mental toughness. Intimidatable means being reduced to a state where the spirit is broken or courage is lost. Thus unintimidatable implies strength of mind in the face of forces that would disrupt, distract, and deter. It defines an …
When was the last time you were totally caught up? I can’t remember such a time. The list is always longer than the day. The pressing, non-negotiable items are addressed and the other stuff gets moved to another list or just falls off my radar at some point. Clearly, I’m not alone in this scene. …
Productivity: The Crazy Way We Work [Infographic] Read More »
The art of communication is the language of leadership. Regardless of whether you consider yourself a professional communicator, your ability to lead well depends on your aptitude in connecting with people in a meaningful way. The good news? You can develop this skill. Consider this: most people speak, but does that make them a speaker? …
Look around you. Scores of people abhor the widely-celebrated holiday we call Valentine’s Day. We’re all expected to be happy for those receiving candy, flowers, jewelry, and other romantic expressions of love. Yet it can feel a bit like getting stabbed when you notice everyone – but you – seems to be the recipient of …
Since time began, storytelling has been a method of passing important truths from one generation to the next. Values, history, culture and valuable lessons have always been communicated via stories. They spark emotion, connect us with one another, and reach us in a way that can actually change the lens of our perspective. Such is …
The Power of Stories – Recounting the Goodness of God Read More »
The Pillars of LEADership Recently, I sat in a planning session for a large organization’s Leadership Development Program and it provoked me to make some notes on the essence of leadership. I boiled it down to the following four points, an acronym for LEAD. Lead with Love. You can never fully lead until you can fully …
Ever felt like for every two steps forward you wind up taking one step back? It seems to be a frustrating – yet normal pattern of progress. I’ll stand with Robert Brault, who quipped, “An optimist is someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it’s …
Texas A & M football wasn’t on my radar until recently. This team isn’t in the Southeastern Conference, so I can’t tell you what their ranking is or if they are playing in a bowl game. It was a remarkable game in another era that captured my attention – the one that led to the …