You’ve heard it said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. A very wise young friend of mine once corrected that statement for me by explaining that the better explanation is in fact that power attracts the corruptible.

I believe that he was right, and there’s no shortage ...
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Behavioral science research, surveys and empirical evidence tell us that we’re living in uniquely unsettled, stressful times. Duh. Navigating and surviving will require courage, patience, self-care and understanding the triggers that make each of us particularly nuts. Here are some thoughts to help you manage your own emotions in the ...
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It’s well established that people tend to think they know a lot more than they actually do – we’re all wired to be arrogant that way. It’s called the “illusion of explanatory depth,” which is a fancy way of saying we’re biased to think we know more than ...
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We live in unsettled times. More bluntly, people are more consistently pi$$ed off than they used to be. We’re polarized; a third of us are suddenly vindicated and complacent, another third are apoplectic about the state of the republic, and who the hell knows about the other third – the ...
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People who have been wronged or mistreated need to hear an acknowledgement of that injury before they will ever likely be willing to move on to bigger or other conversations. A century and a half after the fact, one enormous wrong began being righted on a warm, wind-swept desert day ...
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There’s a human trait that all of us have to some degree, with the exception of people with antisocial personality disorder – socio- and psychopaths – but we don’t often recognize that it’s a trait that needs to be nurtured and developed. Empathy is embedded in us and one of ...
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Research done for several of the past years has shown a general demise in empathy. There’s no clear answer to why, but it may have something to do with the adage that says, hurt people hurt people, and a lot of people feel hurt. We’ve had a few moments ...
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I expect you too were hooked on watching the Olympics the past few weeks. Focusing on the best of humanity for a couple of weeks helps make up for some of the worst of our angels during the other fifty. It makes me optimistic for the future where, I believe, ...
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We teach classes to help clients and other students understand and deal with public and stakeholder anger, emotion and opposition. Developing better emotional intelligence makes a world of difference in accomplishing things that matter. And it’s not just about them, it’s also about you and me. Emotional intelligence means understanding ...
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I was talking with one of our more experienced clients on the east coast the other day. She told me they’re encountering a consistent challenge with new hires, smart people often fresh out of school, who are really uncomfortable talking with folks beyond their own age bracket and out of ...
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