Against open door policies
An “open door policy” is an excuse to believe you’re listening well. Or keep believing you’re getting the truth....
Debates aren’t “won”
I’m a debate coach. It’s bizarre to say that a debate is “won” or “lost”. Even more absurd: “I...
Expecting things to fail unless you *know* they’ll succeed
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as an entrepreneur, it’s that the “I’m not sure if it’ll...
When you’re powerless
I’ve felt powerless in most situations for most of my life. But not in some. Here’s something I noticed: When you’re...
“New leadership” can’t be the answer
Hope doesn’t work as a strategy for most things in life. What if the reason things got so stuck is the continued belief that just...
To navigate the future, kids will need skills and/or philosophy.
I’d argue that neither are a priority of our mass education system. Mentorship, skills, and meaningful philosophy to sort out the...
Less is more
WOW! This blog has been out of it for a month! Here’s what happened: my site issues were caused by bloatware a previous consultant...
Did that question cost too much energy?
Dialogue from the trenches with a junior employee: Her: Isn’t [person’s name] misspelled on that slide? If so, I’ll...
Hard vs. Soft Communication Round 2
(How this started: Part 1 hard vs. soft communication) Part 2 is a guest post from Sara Shipley: When your aim is mutual value you’re...