I love sports. Though, like many avid sports fans, I often struggle with sportscasters. Some are great, to be sure – Vin Scully was the gold standard – but most are not. The reason why most are not great is, in part, because of a habit I like to refer to as “Narrative Dependency.”
Read MoreOne of the funnier things about the renowned philosopher Aristotle is that, so far as we know, he never wrote anything down. His books, which have been the subject of intense daily study for the past two millennia are, in fact, lecture notes that have been pieced together by scholars.
Read MoreThere’s been no shortage of bad press for management consulting firms in recent years. From charges of corruption across international borders, to regulatory trickery, to acting in service of authoritarian regimes; it’s been a busy period for the respective public relation teams at the usual suspects – firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain.
Read MoreThe Netflix hit series Derry Girls was an absolute joy to watch until, during its final two episodes, the show violated a golden rule of storytelling. A coming-of-age tale between five high schoolers growing up in 1990s Northern Ireland during “the troubles,” Derry Girls was a Schitts Creek-esque find; a rare show with touching moments and occasionally difficult themes that relied on humor, an exceptional cast, and hysterically creative plot lines to delight viewers.
Read MoreFans of American football watched in horror last Thursday as Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa lay flat on the field with hands and arms rigid in the “fencing response” after being tackled during a play. The gruesome image projected onto our screens – and rapidly around Twitter – suggested a neurological response to head trauma, according to independent medical professionals who witnessed the injury.
Read MoreOne of the many frustrating, albeit thought-provoking aspects of studying philosophy in college is a logic exercise that explores nuanced hypothetical scenarios. Commonly dubbed “possible worlds,” it’s a surefire way to ruin parties.
Read MoreWhile speaking at the 2022 annual shareholders meeting, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett was asked how someone ought to invest during periods of high inflation.
Read MoreA few years ago, we received a phone call from a manager in the financial services space who was concerned about the diminishing morale of his team. Despite what he considered to be a “robust” employee recognition program, colleagues increasingly felt undervalued, unappreciated, and even, at certain times, invisible.
Read MoreExecutive coaching is serious business. Companies invest substantial resources to support the development of key leaders, optimizing their performance. On the surface, it doesn’t appear that humor would have much of a role in the coaching process. However, humor, if deployed with respect and emotional intelligence, can have a major positive impact.
Read MoreWhen I first started working in Washington, it was suggested that all new Executive Branch staff receive training about how the Legislative Branch of our government works. And so, for two weeks, I and a group of DC-newcomers attended seminars on “the Hill” about how to engage with the institution that is Congress.
Read MoreWhen I was in graduate school, I worked in the gifts department of the university library. My job was to process, sort, and acknowledge all books donated to campus. Late one afternoon, I was stacking books on shelves deep in the expansive chambers of the building, alone – or so I thought.
Read MoreA close friend in college emigrated to the US from Russia shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. At the time, I had yet to read the classics of Russian literature, so one day while walking to class I asked for her advice: “where should I start, Dostoyevsky or Tolstoy?”
Read MoreDuring graduate school, I became obsessed with finding the perfect ethical formula; the equivalent of E=mc^2 for the field of ethics. Suffice it to say, human beings are complex and the further I progressed the more I realized any such effort was fruitless. Even the Golden Rule – do unto others as you would do unto to you – which is arguably the closest thing we have to any such ethical maxim, has its limitations. So, I abandoned the search until one afternoon, many years later, when I was walking my dogs in Boston.
Read MoreNever did I expect to know so much about Russian military troop positions, the varying effectiveness of surface-to-air weaponry, and how to best boobytrap my house in the event of urban conflict. The overwhelming volume of helpful information that has ricocheted through verified Twitter accounts since the start of Putin’s war in Ukraine has been nothing short of remarkable. It demonstrates how an app, designed to share bursts of information in real time, can have a profound impact amidst a humanitarian crisis.
Read MoreIn August 2014, I bought a car. At the time, I was earning a generous salary, commuting relatively short distances, and had no children to drop off at soccer practice. The list of potential vehicles was therefore extensive, and as a lifelong BMW enthusiast, I almost purchased my first luxury sedan.
Read MoreIt was comedian Jerry Seinfeld who observed that public speaking is the number one fear in most minds, beating out death. "It’s therefore safe to assume that most would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy," he joked.
Read MoreBy what felt like the 47th day of March 2020 or the 82nd day of July 2021, some of us may have begun to question decisions we’d made in our lives, asking things like: Why am I married to this person? Why do I live here? And, in a professional context, why am I doing what I’m doing?
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