"You cannot fix a problem that you refuse to acknowledge." – Margaret Heffernan, Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril Choosing Not to See Think about how many people you know who wear glasses or contact lenses, or who have had ophthalmic surgery. Or the 20 million people worldwide every year who […]
Body Language: a True Story Paying close attention to body language can have a significant effect at work. What follows is a true story! A few years ago I worked at a company where I was responsible for the human resources management. I was there for several years, and I got to know some of […]
Recruitment: Two Sides of the Coin Recruitment is no "walk in the park" for employers, or for the people who are seeking employment. Each side is wary that the other may not be telling the whole truth. Or, that they can't or won't deliver on what they promise. So, it's important for both parties to […]
No: A Cultural Conundrum I read a few studies recently that analyzed how different cultures view and use the word "No." Reading these research papers emphasized the fact that we don't all see it the same way, and we don't all value a straight-up, honest "No." For example, one study referred to a specific culture […]
Present, But Disconnected Over the past few weeks, I've seen and heard a few things that emphasize how poorly we can sometimes choose to spend our family time. Recently, I was talking to a young father whose son is 11 months old. I asked him about his favorite way of interacting with his son. "When […]
Turning a Blind Eye "There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true," Margaret Heffernan says in her book, "Willful Blindness." It is often easier to ignore the truth than to look it squarely in the eyes. To stare reality in […]
About This Week's Chat: It May Not Seem Like Much… Starting today, you decide to walk briskly for 20 minutes a day. Not an hour of running or anything as strenuous as that, but a steady stroll. You also opt to ditch one cappuccino or "treat" per day, cutting out 100 calories. Then you realize that […]
The Impact of Dress A few years ago, I was helping one of our directors open a new business in Jeffreys Bay, a well-known surfing town in South Africa. One of my colleagues and I had to conduct interviews to appoint frontline staff, administration staff, and a manager for the establishment. Both of us like […]
"The servant-leader is servant first... It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first." – Robert Greenleaf Whenever I hear the phrase "servant leadership," I think of Nelson Mandela, or […]
"A leader, first and foremost, is human. Only when we have the strength to show our vulnerability can we truly lead." – Simon Sinek Making a Connection As a lecturer and facilitator, I believe that it's important to make a connection with my students. And sometimes, daring to be vulnerable is the best way to make that […]
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