Let’s talk about honor
I’m driving to dinner. The song “Glory of Love” by Peter Cetera is playing on the radio. I love 1980’s songs, and I’m quickly singing along in an enthusiastic off-key voice. But this time, my mind gets stuck on the chorus. It’s like I’m hearing it for the first time, …
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Employee engagement shouldn’t be this hard
We make employee engagement a lot harder than it needs to be. Look, employee dis-engagement is a challenge for companies everywhere, in every industry. Gallup recently reported that employee disengagement is currently costing businesses an estimated $8.8 trillion globally. To fix this costly crisis, leadership needs to understand the factors …
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Are you using all your strength?
A mother and her daughter are walking on a trail. They come across a fallen branch blocking their path. The daughter asks the mother, “Do you think, if I use all of my strength, I can move the branch off the trail?” The mother thinks for a moment, then looks …
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What humans and cheetahs have in common
Would a cheetah win a race against greyhounds? A cheetah was brought to a greyhound racetrack to find out. The dogs, and the cheetah, were positioned at the starting line. When the gates opened, the greyhounds darted out. The cheetah remained laying down in her pen. The observers were shocked. …
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Recovering checklist addict
I was the Queen of check-lists. I crushed the workday as I sailed down my list. A hit of dopamine rushing through me as I tick one box after the next. As the list whittled down, my sense of accomplishment and satisfaction soared. My checklists weren’t confined to work. Oh …
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Handle yourself with care
Unless you are one of the .000001% of humans living out your existence as a hermit in the woods, you are not an autonomous island unaffected by others. Every one of us is a walking energy field that influences those around us. And each of us, in turn, is influenced …
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Where are the defiant rule-breakers?
If there was an award for the most detentions attained during an elementary school career, my brother Ben would have won it. Ben had a judicious approach to rules. If a rule didn’t make sense to him, or didn’t seem just, he didn’t bother to abide by it. While that …
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What can Formula 1 teach us about culture?
I’ve never followed Formula 1, but I recently got hooked on the Netflix series Drive To Survive, and the unique organizational culture that propels the sport. There’s a lot about teamwork and collaboration that can be learned from the pit. In Formula 1, over the course of nine months, ten …
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First they came
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— …
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It’s time to redefine “better”
If you’re like most people, you want your kids to have a better life than you. This dream for “better” is intertwined with our belief in human progress. Better is the reward for your personal sacrifices and hard work. In the past, better meant more money. Money is the way …
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