In 2012, Joe Gerstandt and I published Social Gravity: Harnessing the Natural Laws of Relationships. In it, we shared six “laws” for building meaningful relationships. The one that always got the strongest reaction was: Always be authentic. We argued that authenticity...
“The obstacle is the way.” This quote, often attributed to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, is a core tenet of stoicism. It points to an annoying and inevitable truth. What we want most is usually found on the other side of something we would rather avoid. It...
Leadership isn’t just about speaking, it’s about listening. And not just hearing words, but truly understanding, engaging, and responding in a way that fosters trust and connection. In today’s workplaces, where distractions are everywhere and meaningful conversations...
Few things trigger more angst for less payoff than the annual performance review process. Just the thought of it is enough to send a lot of people into panic mode–employees, managers, and HR alike. I’m not suggesting that the review process is entirely without merit,...
What’s your go-to cure for the hiccups? Growing up, my family was convinced that the best cure was a good “scare.” I can still remember my parents (and grandparents) trying to startle me out of a case of hiccups. I don’t know if this actually works, but I...
Some of the best advice I ever got came almost 30 years ago. I was in high school. Being a bonafide band nerd, I was spending a week of my summer vacation at the Clark Terry Jazz Camp hoping to polish my trumpet skills enough to become king of nerds—First Chair...
