This is Forty – 40 Pieces of Wisdom I Wish I Knew When I Was Younger

Photo by u0421u0430u0448u0430 u041bu0430u0437u0430u0440u0435u0432 on Pexels.com “I used to be with ‘it’, but then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m with isn’t ‘it’ and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary to me. It’ll happen to you!” ― Abe Simpson from the Simpsons Today, I turn forty years old. I grew up in a

Exploring the 7 Chakras: Gateways to Balance and Healing

Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com "You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." -- Buddha My first memory of the word “chakra” comes from one of my favorite shows – Avatar: The Last Airbender. While it is a children’s show, it deals with very mature themes like

Why the Worst Get on Top: Part 2, A Roadmap to Resisting the Worst Bosses in Our Lives

A man looking at the crowd from above, a symbol of totalitarianism, dictatorship, Machiavellianism. A symbol of an authoritarian regime. “Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.” – George Bernard Shaw In the last article, I discuss how many American workplaces allow the worst to

Why the Worst Get on Top, Part 1: An Opus to the Worst Bosses in Our Lives

Photo by Claudio Mota on Pexels.com "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." – Lord Acton I believe many of us have had that one boss – maybe for the most unlucky of us, more than one. The boss who arrives to the office or factory or store and everyone’s mood suddenly shifts

Books to Add to Your 2024 Reading List

“…a mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone. That’s why I read so much, Jon Snow.” – Tyrion Lannister Reading is a gateway to wisdom. Harry Truman was quoted as saying, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Whether you’re leading a multiunit HR team, or leading an HR department

Does It Matter?

"Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody's gonna die. Come watch TV." – Morty from Rick & Morty I have loved cartoons my entire life. I still do, which is why I love that there are adult cartoons. One of my favorites is Rick & Morty. It’s not for everyone. Really, it’s not for

Bad Company

Bad company And I can't deny Bad company Till the day I die -- Bad Company by Bad Company I was listening to a recent edition of the Daily Stoic Podcast with Ryan Holliday, who was interviewing former Representative Adam Kinzinger. Regardless of your political affiliation, he is an interesting person, and he did some

How Do You Know?

“All I know is that I know nothing.” – Socrates “Are you familiar with the book Nasty, Brutish, and Short,” asked Erich, my good friend, through a text message. “No,” I replied. “It’s endorsed by Ryan Holliday.” “I should buy it then,” I texted back. Erich knows me well. I really like Ryan Holliday. Before

Debts & Lessons

Photo by Rakicevic Nenad on Pexels.com “Associate with people who are likely to improve you.” ― Seneca In the opening passages of Mediations, Marcus Aurelius lists receipts – not of people who’ve wronged him but of people who helped make him the man he ultimately became. It’s an awesome exercise: List the people who have

Non-HR Conferencing

My visit to Cologne, Germany, May 2023. This is the Cologne Cathedral. The picture doesn't do the build's size justice. “One of the great things about travel is you find out how many good, kind people there are.” — Edith Wharton This past spring I took a trip to Germany. It was my third time