Published inLeaders & Managers·Jun 17Self-Command: Four Horses and One CharioteerHow you manage yourself is an endless and customized exercise in choosing goals and pursuing them over time. The process can be thoughtful and successful but often unfolds on autopilot, sometimes effectively and sometimes not. You can easily find recommendations for managing stress, improving time management, avoiding procrastination, dealing with…Motivation4 min readMotivation4 min read
Published inLeaders & Managers·Nov 22, 2021Misleading Myths and Useful Advice about Being ProactiveWhat is the deep meaning of “We should’ve been more proactive”? By changing how we think and behave, we influence our futures. Studies show benefits ranging from stronger job performance to career success to addressing the harmful consequences of climate change. However, proactive is buzzwordy, easy to underestimate and to…Leadership4 min readLeadership4 min read
May 30, 2021Your Changing Work Culture, Five Culture Myths, and a Sensible ProposalIf and when you return to your pre-pandemic job, you will compare your workplace to what it was like before COVID-19 struck. Washingtonian Media CEO Cathy Merrill wrote this month an op-ed about the likely loss of her company’s pre-pandemic culture of collaboration and creativity. …5 min read5 min read
Published inLeaders & Managers·Jul 14, 2020Realizing More of Your Potential — Deeper Success — Through Moral LeadershipJacqueline Novogratz and Acumen Show Us How Pursuing your full potential seems like a worthy goal, but also feels unrealistic and frustrating. Perhaps, the best aspiration is to realize more of our potential by finding the most gratifying pathways toward our best possible futures. Thinking about Human Potential The subject…Leadership8 min readLeadership8 min read
Published inLeaders & Managers·Jul 8, 2020The 1986 Challenger Disaster Informs the COVID-19 PandemicHow to Make Bad and Good Decisions about Risk The Challenger space shuttle exploded shortly after liftoff, killing seven people. The disaster took place decades ago and was not caused by a virus. …Health8 min readHealth8 min read
May 26, 2020The Challenger Disaster and Pandemic Decision-making: An Imperfect but Worthy AnalogyLife and work seem especially complicated these days. Analogies, even imperfect ones, can help us make big decisions such as those we all face with the pandemic. Bad Decisions with the Challenger The Challenger space shuttle exploded shortly after liftoff, killing seven people. The date was January 28, 1986. …Leadership3 min readLeadership3 min read
Published inLeaders & Managers·Apr 28, 2020Learning about Leadership from Donald Trump and the Pandemic:Don’t Fall Prey to the Not Invented Here Syndrome It’s not controversial — I’m pretty sure — to say that Donald J. Trump’s personality and management style are unique. Can we learn anything about leadership from the U.S. president? Yes, a lot, if only we try. We Can Learn about Leadership from Donald J. Trump People love to criticize…Leadership4 min readLeadership4 min read
Published inLeaders & Managers·Apr 24, 2020Personal Agency Drives a New-look Motive HierarchyThe “Maslow Pyramid” was Magnificent but Confining. Put Yourself in Charge. What motivates people (including you)? This age-old question is everlasting due to so many possible and multi-faceted answers. What’s your first thought in reacting to that question? For many, it’s a pyramid with five colored layers displaying Abraham Maslow’s…Work6 min readWork6 min read
Apr 1, 2020Learning about Leadership from Donald J. TrumpCrisis Management and the NIH Syndrome It’s not controversial — I’m pretty sure — to say that Donald J. Trump’s personality and management style are unique. Can the rest of us learn any lessons from the U.S. president about leadership, particularly in a crisis? Critics say that we can learn…Leadership4 min readLeadership4 min read
Published inLeaders & Managers·Jan 29, 2020How to Discover, Customize, and Optimize Your Best Ways to Fight Climate ChangeIn the United States, we’ve reached a tipping point where the public is concerned and alarmed about climate change. Experts and laypeople alike assert the need for more extensive and productive climate action to deliver a future safer than the one we now face. Now — not later — is…Climate Change5 min readClimate Change5 min read
