What Do You Want and Why Do You Want It?
As we near the end of another year, I thought it timely to write about the importance of focus. By that I mean, what deserves our...
What We Do When We Are In Doubt
My financial advisor finally tracked me down today. He has been calling and emailing me for a week. I wasn’t consciously avoiding him,...
How To Be Cool (It’s Science... And Wisdom)
I met Joe in college. He was short and scrawny with thinning dark hair that stuck out like Doc from the Back to the Future movies. He...
Why We Believe Stupid Shit
I’ve mentioned before that I have very close and good friends from both sides of the political spectrum. And I get a kick out of it when...
It’s a Jeep Thing, You Wouldn’t Understand
I bought my first Jeep Wrangler in my early twenties. It was by far the most expensive thing I owned at the time and I loved it. I...
How To Avoid Over-Spending This Holiday Season
A young graduate student was hired as a professor prior to completing his Ph.D. We’ll call him David. The university hired David with the...
Why We Rarely Opt Out
How annoying. For the third month in a row I circled a ridiculous and unnecessary charge on my credit card bill. I had been meaning to...
The Unifying Properties of Co-Creation
I learned how to become an effective leader with one question: “Ken, what do you think?” I was literally the only person not seated at...
How To Win An Argument In Three Easy Steps
My friend and colleague Kevin is a master persuader. I’ve never seen him get dragged into an argument, but I have seen him influence...
The Secret To Performing Effectively In Pressure Situations
Two close friends of mine make a rather long commute to work every day. At a gathering one night the conversation somehow landed on the...