otherwise known as FSD. — The answer to many of life’s questions, at least my life’s questions, is “sheer fucking discipline”. I realized this one evening when my slightly too serious yoga teacher asked, “What brings you to your mat tonight?”. My impulsive and silent response was, “sheer fucking discipline”. Thankfully she doesn’t expect anyone…

Old behavior brings new joy. — 2020. We spun around in the fog of worst case scenarios, dire predictions and fear. We’ll never shake hands again. No more hugs. No more concerts. No more dinner parties. No more playgrounds or picnics or potlucks. We’ll all keep working from home whether it’s a good way to work…

The case against remote work being our new normal. “New normal”. Two words pushed together, yet to be defined, new normal is a phrase already overused and irritating. The theorizing among friends, colleagues and people who study these things, includes ideas like half the workforce will end up never going to the office again, remote education for our kids…

Why a sense of humor is essential — I almost always write about leadership. I’ve been in a position of leadership for a long time and try to pay it forward, telling stories of what I’ve learned and been transparent about big, fat mistakes I’ve made. …

Navigating the thin green line. I think of myself as a good leader. Until suddenly I didn’t know what to do. I have come to my computer more than a dozen times since we started working from home and begged it to give me at least a headline. Leadership during…

Reflections on leadership during a pandemic — Though we heard about this coronavirus thing back in January, it was across the ocean. We may even have felt empathy and vague concern about it jumping our borders. …

I’ve been told it’s better to present information from the “do” perspective, because “don’t” is a negative word. I get it, but sometimes talking about the don’ts provides more clarity. And let’s be honest, even though we do the dos, doesn’t mean we’ve eliminated the don’ts. A leader (you or…

My son and I were having a conversation the other night about being self-aware. Not being a jerk. How it’s sometimes difficult to assess your own perception of yourself. Is what you think about yourself correct or are you guilty of the less flattering view held by others? It’s only…

Give yourself a point for each “yes” answer. Do you: Consistently average more than 40 or 45 hours per week at work? Get to the end of the year and realize you have a bunch of unused time off because you didn’t take a vacation again? Insert yourself into other…