Columnist David Brooks has written in the past on the difference between resume virtues and eulogy virtues. Resume virtues are the jobs and career accomplishments you’ve held in your lifetime. Eulogy virtues, however, are your character traits. Brooks concluded that eulogy virtues have longer term value than resume virtues. This became clearer to me at a recent funeral I attended. ...
For about a decade, I spent each Father’s Day alone. My wife and kids went to Autism week at camp each year during Father’s Day. Kathy was a volunteer camp nurse, and my kids were campers. The dates were uncontrollable, but I still felt lonely and unappreciated at times on Father’s Day. Finally, the year came when no one went ...
Years ago, when I was in banking, a CEO named Sam was a customer who was brash, demanding, arrogant, and selfish. Every negotiation ended with him winning and me losing. Years later, when I left banking to start a consulting practice, Sam wanted to meet with me. Reluctantly, I met with Sam. It felt like I was talking to a ...
A challenge in counseling a troubled business is to recognize the gap between theory and reality. It’s one thing to develop an aggressive action plan. It’s another to confront past due creditors and frightened employees. It takes courage to communicate pay cuts to employees. It takes compassion to recognize the impact your decisions will have on those employees, and ...
Students for Fair Admissions sued Harvard due to their belief that Harvard’s student screening process has discriminated against Asian Americans. The Supreme Court is reviewing the case. Harvard’s desire to give African Americans and Latinos a better chance in society may have been noble, but it has left Asian Americans applicants feeling discriminated against. Favoritism is now being given to ...
At my college graduation the emcee requested that the audience hold their applause until all graduates had walked across the stage. When I crossed the stage, however, I saw my father leap to his feet and yell, “Way to go, Rick!” During my youth, my father wasn’t someone who gave much affirmation, but in that one moment, I knew my ...
The nature and culture of the workplace has changed dramatically since 2019. In 2019, only 4% of professionals worked remotely, today it’s 15%. Inflation was only 1.81%, today it’s 7.9%. Pre-Covid, only 10 million people knew how to use Zoom; today that number is 300 million. With the stress of the pandemic, racial tensions, and political polarization, 40% of employees ...
When Russia attacked Ukraine, the world quickly saw the injustice of this unprovoked attack and rallied to condemn Russia while providing support to Ukraine. Hearts all over the world were heavy for the people of Ukraine, causing thousands to show compassion in a variety of ways. In business, there are also times when a team member is going through a ...
Valentine’s Day has historically been the 2nd busiest day of the year for restaurants after Mother’s Day. This year will be challenging for restaurant owners due to Covid and staffing issues. To make matters worse, when staffing is limited, that’s the most likely time for restaurant workers to receive complaints. A local fast-food restaurant near me has proactively addressed this ...
My wife, Kathy, makes it a habit to stop people in a military or police uniform and thank them for their service. Lately, she has begun doing the same thing with waiters and waitresses. I’ve noticed many restaurant employees seem overwhelmed lately, resulting in more opportunities for Kathy’s gift of encouragement. After she thanks a server for their service, Kathy ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
