I came into the kitchen to this. My eldest had an idea to give her siblings (and herself) personalized ninja decorations. (Ninjas are a big deal around here. My generation had Storm Shadow and the other G.I. Joe ninjas. Her generation has Lego’s Ninjago. At least ninjas are still popular.) She wanted to represent each sibling’s hair style and to …
Your team needs a story time?
A Wall Street Journal column shared the research behind how reading aloud to students can overcome losses they suffered during pandemic shutdowns. It’s a practice Victorian teachers, classical education proponents and home schoolers have known for years. (See: Read-Aloud Revival. See also: Mark’s amazing wife.) Mark thinks it’s a practice you need, too. Listen in for the benefits …
GUEST POST: The Importance of a Classical Education in a Digital Age (With a Dash of Humor)
In today’s world, technology has made it easier than ever to access information and connect with others. However, as convenient as these tools are, they can also create a sense of disconnection and isolation. In order to counterbalance the negative effects of technology, it’s important to focus on the timeless values and principles that have been passed down through the …
The two questions that help you work with ANYBODY
“I can’t work with this person!” Have you ever found yourself saying this? What if there were two questions you could ask that would allow you to work with literally anybody? The basics In previous posts about the DISC model of behavior styles, I promised that there were two questions that can help you interact and work with others. A …
Leeches, Shakespeare and your personality
Have you ever left an encounter with a customer (or coworker, or family member) really different from you and felt completely drained? Perhaps they seemed really boring. Or too animated. You might have found their amount of details exhausting. Or their lack of them annoying. Maybe it felt like there was a wall between the two of you. Or that …
Is Work You replacing Real You?
Last week I lamented what we miss when we work remotely and don’t get the chance to work together. The journal First Things approached it from the opposite perspective: How hard it is to prevent “work you” from taking over “personal you.” In a review of the Apple TV+ series Severance, the author states a truth: Severing our work lives …
The Labor Day motto of Clan Ramsay
ORA ET LABORA. “Pray and work.” This ancient phrase of Benedictine monks became the motto of Clan Ramsay. I’ve always liked it. It reminds me that work itself can have a higher purpose. In fact, we were working in the Garden of Eden. We had three jobs–all part of the plan. Work is something worth doing. This article quotes Teddy Roosevelt: Far and away …
Training employees classically … like Mr. Miyagi
In training your people, have you skipped one of the three main steps? I’m referring to the ancient method of classical education known as the Trivium, the “three roads.” You might call it the Karate Kid method. The Three Roads You know what society called classical education as late as the 1800s? “Education.” It’s just how education was done. Modern …
If you measure happiness, what are you measuring?
Happiness and engagement go hand in hand for employees. An influential business book, “The Happiness Advantage,” has suggested that for over a decade now. Last week we talked about surveys to measure happiness and how dialogue gets to the heart of things more effectively. Talk with your people. But just what is happiness? What is engagement? Enter this article: “In …
Surveying your people vs. talking to them
I’m going to utter a heresy in this article. At least, it’s a heresy to many of my colleagues working on culture. A manager recently talked to me about helping his team collaborate more. I asked him what he would get out of that. As often happens in coaching, I was surprised by his answer. I thought he would say …