Earlier this week, I stumbled upon a lecture delivered by the “Father of the American Nuclear Navy,” Admiral H. G. Rickover. The lecture, delivered in September 1982, was titled “Thoughts on Man’s Purpose in Life.” In its entirety, the Admiral’s views on life, and the guiding principles he lived by, really struck a chord with […]
Many people wear their “busyness” as a badge of honor. To be busy is to be important, in-demand, needed, relevant. But here’s the truth: no one is ever “too busy.” We just have a lot of choices to make about how and with whom we want to spend our time. Consider this. After simply ignoring […]
Every year around the holidays, our company breakroom fills to capacity with a mountain of indistinguishable gift baskets full of stuff―peanuts, pretzels, coffee, meats and cheeses, fruits, chocolate, and just about everything else that can be consumed by office vultures. The baskets are sent to us by business partners, vendors, people that we’ve worked with, […]
Our ability to openly share information, build meaningful relationships, and make well-informed decisions often gets derailed by one common problem: an inability to listen. More specifically, an inability to listen with empathy. Listening with empathy is a skill. It takes practice. And like every skill, the more you practice, the better you get. Understanding and sharing […]
There we were, lazily stretched out on a beach bed, aimlessly gazing out at the aquamarine water of the Caribbean. It was the third day of our five day vacation. My wife and I hadn’t done much, which I suppose is the whole point of a vacation. But as my traveling companion for the past […]
I’ve always admired the men and women of our military, those who are with us today and those who have come before us. I’m humbled by their service and sacrifice. I admire their bravery. I’m inspired by their grit and determination. And when an accomplished military leader speaks, I listen. May 17, 2014, marked one […]
We’ve all been there. Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, slowly inching your way forward, when you notice a car at a stop sign with their blinker on, patiently trying to turn in to traffic. One by one, the drivers in front of you do everything they can to block that car from entering their lane. When […]
The expression “don’t judge a book by its cover” is a metaphorical phrase which means, “You shouldn’t prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone.” When such advice is ignored―and let’s be honest, we have ALL been guilty of ignoring it―there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on new relationships, fruitful […]
In a world where everyone has an opinion, who should we listen to? Marketers bombard us with products and services that we must have in order to live a happy and productive life. Our social media feed barrages us with advice on how to feel. News pundits tell us how we should think. Employers, colleagues, […]
While email, texting, and instant messaging have improved our ability to communicate quickly, our overreliance on them may be undermining our ability to communicate successfully. Countless research studies have shown that we communicate most effectively in real-life, real-time conversations. Albert Mehrabian, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UCLA, has conducted numerous experiments dealing with the communication […]
