When you do the Right Thing, People Notice

Recently I was at Trader Joe’s which is one of my favorite grocery stores. I have been going there for a long time and I know many of the employees well. Many of them know I went to Michigan State University because I often wear an MSU sweat shirt during the fall and winter months.…

Kind Acts can have a very Long Reach

Two friends of mine just returned from an Alaska cruise. The price of the cruise included tips for all the service employees. The porter who was assigned to them was very friendly and did an excellent job of getting them settled in their cabin. As a result, they tipped him with a twenty dollar bill…

An Example of Perseverance Paying Off

A few nights ago, Toledo Mud Hen’s player Mike Hessman set a minor league baseball record by hitting his 434th minor league homerun—a grand slam. The record had stood for 80 years! This is his 20th year of professional baseball and nearly all of it has been spent in the minor leagues. So what did…

It’s Impossible to be Happy While You’re Complaining

A former student of mine posted the following quote on Facebook: “Happiness comes a lot easier when you stop complaining about your problems and you start being grateful for all the problems you don’t have.” We all know someone who, when things don’t go their way, they take it personally and start complaining—as if they’re…

Valuing People over Numbers Pays Off in a Big Way

A friend of mine posted the following excellent quote from author Simon Sinek on Facebook: “A true leader would sacrifice the numbers to save the people, not sacrifice the people to save the numbers.” “The numbers” is a phrase that refers to the measures of success of a business—things like profitability, productivity, costs and so…