January 3, 2015
This post was inspired by the simple, enduring work by the late author, Rumer Godden whose work has touched many lives with its wisdom. More than ever we understand that life is more than the endless to-do lists and bucket lists we create and then relentlessly pursue to achieve “success.” As the poet Yeats said, “Life is not a problem to be […]
December 16, 2014
“We have clear evidence that if you consistently work long hours, you will get ill. And what we’re finding in the developed world is that increasingly the hours are upping that more and more people are working longer.” Cary Cooper, Organizational Psychologist Recently, we’ve spoken with several clients who were sick. Physically ill. Coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, sore throats – […]
July 16, 2014
We learn a lot from our clients. Their insights and experiences are our primary lifeline to what is happening at every level in today’s workplace. And too often, what we hear isn’t pretty. Overworked, overburdened, stressed, exhausted, cynical, pessimistic, untrusting, disengaged, resentful, frustrated, fearful and angry are common descriptions too many people give us. Since we began integrating Emotional Intelligence […]
February 25, 2014
Most scientists agree that we are born to cooperate with others. In other words, we are born to be more “WE” than “ME.” Sometimes we wonder. The mounting research continues to paint a much rosier and more positive picture at least for the potential of a kinder, gentler workplace, society and planet. According to Dr. Thomas Tomasello, author of “Why […]
February 10, 2014
“Most of us don’t think about workplace rights. We think because we live in America we have the rights we need. There are no constitutional protections in the workplace. Federal laws protect you from being fired because of race, gender or disability, but it doesn’t protect you for saying the boss is overworking you or the company’s actions are immoral. […]
January 27, 2014
The scene – the window from my midtown Manhattan hotel facing an office building. The time – 6 am – the usual time I wake up when working in New York City (unless I can help it!) More than a decade ago, when I started staying at this hotel, the offices were mostly dark at 6 am. But in recent years, more lights […]
April 11, 2013
The Road Ahead Quotes can have a wonderful way of reminding you of what is deep and important in your life. I like to think of quotes as guiding principles – reflections of values – actively lived or lying dormant waiting to be rekindled. We put quotes on walls and desks for a reason. Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr […]
February 28, 2013
Somewhere along the line I absorbed the nearly universal belief that hard work is a defining value of a person’s worth. Intellectually, I don’t buy into this meme – but emotionally I can feel its pull and weight for every hour “wasted” on “non-productive” work. Although the nature of work has changed dramatically since I was a child, the thinking […]
November 18, 2010
“The most important thing in life is to decide what’s most important” Ken Blanchard People don’t seem to write or talk much about values anymore, do they? Yes, the word value is often used – creating value, adding value, etc., but what does it really mean to the user? While most organizations still use values words in their mission […]