Every workshop or planning session I’ve led since returning to in-person sessions earlier this year has discussed approaches or policies to working remotely or hybrid models balancing in-office and at-home work. These discussions expose underlying values about trust, partnering, and treating team members as adults or children. Last week was an especially clear example […]
Read post »“The Great Resignation” is part of a greater rethink about what matters most at work — and in life. The pandemic forced a pause that gifted us with time to step back and search more deeply for purpose and meaning. The last seven posts focused on Frank’s search for spirit and meaning. This seven-part series […]
Read post »Last in a 7-part series: Let’s Be Frank about Spirit and Meaning (Links below to previous installments) That greener grass on the other side of the fence often turns out to be spray painted. Frank had broken through his “trapped emptiness.” He had a renewed sense of hope and purpose. He was energized. Life was […]
Read post »Part 6 in a series: Let’s Be Frank about Spirit and Meaning (Links below to previous installments) Frank decided to quit his job. The price of “success” was too high. The awakening he experienced that morning in his study helped him realize that he needed to get off the speeding treadmill before he killed himself. […]
Read post »Part 5 in a series: Let’s Be Frank about Spirit and Meaning (Links below to previous installments) The pinkish orange glow of the rising sun bathed the oak-paneled study in a warm light unlike any Frank had ever experienced. It pulsed with life. As the shimmering hues embraced him, Frank felt like his body dissolved […]
Read post »Part 4 in a series: Let’s Be Frank about Spirit and Meaning (Links below to previous installments) As he struggled to deal with what he was now calling his “trapped emptiness,” Frank came across a poem entitled “The Dash.” It was written by a former player and student of Lou Holtz. Frank learned that the […]
Read post »Part 3 in a series: Let’s Be Frank about Spirit and Meaning (Links below to previous installments) With his typical intensity, Frank began searching for ways to deal with his emptiness. He checked out a few churches and attended introductory classes for various inner development and spiritual groups. He started reading books on spirituality, soul, […]
Read post »Part 2 in a series: Let’s Be Frank about Spirit and Meaning Click to read Part 1 One evening after an especially hectic day, Frank decided to join a few others from the office at their favorite brew pub around the corner. When Sheila asked him, she expected another, “no, thanks. I’ve got too much […]
Read post »Part 1 in a series: Let’s Be Frank about Spirit and Meaning Frank is a regional manager in a fast-growing technology company. Many major corporations in his area are clients and he’s a trusted consultant to their senior executives. As the top producer in his firm, he’s a key contributor to the company’s rapid growth. […]
Read post »My last post reviewed Arthur’s new book. It’s very well written with Arthur’s openness about his personal struggles, solid research, engaging examples, and practical advice. The book aligns very well with my study and writing about positive psychology and personal vision, values, and purpose. Here are some quotes from the book that strongly resonated […]
Read post »One of my favorite annual Christmas season rituals is watching the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” starring a young Jimmy Stewart. It’s a 1946 classic that tells a compelling story about making a difference in the lives of others. In the movie, Jimmy’s character, George Bailey, becomes a reluctant leader in his small hometown […]
Read post »In the Shakespearean tragedy titled after the main character, Hamlet ponders his imprisonment by Denmark and the King as well as in his own mind when he says, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” In my previous post in this series of posts on the nature of “reality,” we […]
Read post »A few years ago, I ran into an old acquaintance I hadn’t seen for a while. Our short conversation confirmed just why I hadn’t seen him — and wouldn’t again soon if I could help it! I started off with, “Hey Phil. How’s it going?” His response was, “Oh, you know; same crap, different day.” […]
Read post »Edward Witten, an American mathematical and theoretical physicist, is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He’s a leading researcher in string theory, quantum gravity, supersymmetric quantum field theories, and other areas of mathematical physics. Witten said, “String theory is 21st century physics that fell […]
Read post »The term “metaverse” was coined in the 1992 science fiction novel, Snow Crash, as a combination of “meta” — meaning more comprehensive or transcending — and universe. A core component of the metaverse is virtual reality (VR). VR often uses headsets and motion controllers to create a computer simulated environment. VR is used for gaming, […]
Read post »“Get real!” “You’re not living in the real world.” “That’s a pipe dream that’s completely out of touch with reality!” “Your delusional flights of fancy sound good but in actual fact…” “The reality of our situation is….” “Let me give you a dose of reality.” Anyone trying to stay positive and lead in these turbulent […]
Read post »Julia was exhausted. Business was outstanding. Her team was scrambling to keep up and she was stretched thin. They had trouble finding enough good people to fill the new positions that were being created by the company’s rapid growth. During a family gathering she talked about her crazy-busy life and shared her frustration with a […]
Read post »Life isn’t fair. The world is full of injustice and inequality. Billions live in horrible poverty. Brutal wars kill and maim millions of blameless people. Corrupt governments destroy entire countries’ quality of life. Crooked leaders bilk thousands of investors out of their life savings and drive economies into ruin and throw people out of work. […]
Read post »How well does this describe our world today? These social and economic changes… were uneven and unsettling. They opened up differentials between groups and between different societies. They spawned lust for wealth, envy, and distrust of neighbors. They led to overseas wars, unequal taxation, social turmoil, and the questioning of established authority, royal and religious. […]
Read post »Last week’s post, How to Build and Restore Trust, was a review of, and key points from, Joe Folkman’s new book, The Trifecta of Trust: The Proven Formula for Building and Restoring Trust. My copy is full of yellow highlights. Here are a few of the most notable ones: After years of analysis, I discovered […]
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