Can Small Talk Really Make a Difference?

Every time I get to my assigned seat on a plane I begin to worry who might sit down next to me and start talking. If they’re really garrulous, I’ll have to put on my serious teaching face and explain I’m working on a project and can’t talk. In other words,...

The Science of Awe

I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to relax. I like and take vacations, but when I’m home I cram as much as I possibly can into weekends and evenings. I need a break. Apparently, I’m not the only one. We Americans don’t seem to know how to relax, even though...

Please, pass the buttons!

I had the privilege of working with some great leaders at ADKF in San Antonio recently, and at the end of the class I asked everyone to please take their buttons and pass them on to colleagues who hadn’t attended. These buttons had positive affirmations on them, and...

If… Then

Have you ever said something to yourself like, “If my boss really valued me, then she’d say so” or “If my brother-in-law really wanted to spend time with me, then he’d do something I like.” We can fill in the blanks endlessly with relatives, spouses,...

Still Giving Airtime?

Were you ever unlucky enough to have a bad boss or teacher? Someone who kept reminding you of what you weren’t good at? Naturally no one is great at everything; it’s never how smart we are, it’s how we are smart.  When we’re of a certain age or in a...