Baseball Hall of Famer, Sparky Anderson, who won three World Series Titles managing the Cincinnati Reds and the Detroit Tigers, died recently. In spite of all his success, he is most remembered as an unpretentious and gracious human being. He loved and cared about people and treated everyone as an old friend whether they were…
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal by Elizabeth Bernstein discussed how people use the word maybe and the negative message that it sends. According to the article, maybe has become a weasel word that people use to avoid commitments or delay decisions. For example, if someone invites you to a party and you…
I recently attended a fund raising event for a local hospital. During the program, one of the speakers pointed out that to be effective, a physician needed to deal with the emotional issues confronting a patient as well as the medical issues. This involved a sequence of three steps: Listen to what the patient has…
Over the years, I’ve observed a lot of people who, when things don’t go as they had planned, they become angry, upset or have a “melt-down.” During the process, they make themselves and those around them miserable. Hey, delays and interruptions are a part of life and it’s always been that way–to expect otherwise is to be grossly naive. …
Like many professional athletes, most of us have fallen into an occasional slump where we’re not performing at our usual level of effectiveness. A slump usually takes the form of a lengthy drought between successes. And, like professional athletes, many of us try to break out of our slump by working harder and longer. What…
Until a year ago, I rarely dealt with the bank branch that handled my business account. Those transactions were always handled by my associate. Recently, it became more convenient for me to take care of those transactions. When I first started going there, the place seemed dark, dreary and lifeless–I felt like I was in…
A set of research studies recently reported in the Wall Street Journal found that nice people–people who are polite, honest, outgoing and compassionate–were more likely to rise to positions of power in the organizations they worked for. These findings held true for corporations, the military and politics. It turns out that people bestow authority on…
Jack Tatum, former Pro Bowl safety for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League, died recently at the age of 61. He is most remembered for a hit he put on Darryl Stingley, a wide receiver for the New England Patriots, that left Mr. Stingley paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of…
Rachael Bernstein of the Los Angeles Times recently reported on the results of a long term study conducted by researchers at Harvard University and MIT. One of the things the study found was a strong connection between an individual’s emotional state–whether they were happy or unhappy–and the emotional states of the people they had contact with. This…
I’ve always been fascinated with the phrase “pride goes before a fall” and I’ve always wondered why. A recent article by Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press provides us with some terrific insight. As it turns out, when many people experience success, it leads to overconfidence and excessive pride or arrogance–I’m the expert and I…