Here’s an exercise to see your values from a new perspective. I used to do it all the time until I learned my lesson from it, which I’ll write at the bottom. Answer the question “how would you improve the world if you could have a magical wish come true?” and follow through to see if the change would, in fact, improve your life. To clarify, I mean a supernatural[…] Keep reading →
People struggle over decisions they know will affect others. Their concern for other people sounds important for building and maintaining relationships. Their anxiety, on the other hand, suggests they’re missing its source. If they don’t know what causes their anxiety, they’ll miss the otherwise obvious solution. For some reason, people in challenging situations often withdraw from others. Typical such situations include Figuring out how to tell a client news they[…] Keep reading →
After yesterday’s post on my principle to avoid surprising teammates in business, today I’ll mention one of my other top principles in business relationships: I want people I work with glad to have worked with me and wanting to work with me again. Though this one speaks for itself, I think it bears repeating and reinforcing why it works. This principle Puts accountability to the people you work with as[…] Keep reading →
I love a surprise birthday party. I love to surprise friends with good news. I once surprised a girlfriend with a Tiffany’s necklace. All great experiences. I love surprises with friends. In business I strive not to surprise anyone I work with (competitors I like to surprise)– not with news I think they don’t want to hear, nor with news I think they do want to hear. When I figure[…] Keep reading →
It’s Sunday afternoon. If you didn’t know I like watching football. So why am I writing instead of watching? The more relevant question is why I used to watch — not just football, but anything on TV. When I moved into my apartment almost fourteen years ago I plugged my TV into a coax cable already installed. For some reason, it worked. No cable box, no nothing. I didn’t pay[…] Keep reading →
Brought to you by the Distinguished Leaders committee of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York (copying the following announcement from that site): Leadership Through Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence In a weekend, learn how to develop your personal leadership skills, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence through the latest advances in cognitive behavioral science, evolutionary psychology, and positive psychology. While business schools and corporations are increasingly focusing on personal leadership,[…] Keep reading →
In case anyone was wondering how I was doing on my marathon training, since I hurt my ankle in May and couldn’t run on it until August, I thought I might not have enough time to train. Saturday I ran twenty-one miles in hilly Central Park. The bottoms of my feet hurt, but I felt otherwise great. The weekend before I ran twelve miles on each of Saturday and Sunday.[…] Keep reading →