I have lived long enough, several decades, to witness cultural shifts over time. The 2000s are nothing like the 1950s. Culture and society march ahead, and it's up to us to keep up. But here's the rub: progress strains our attention spans. In politics, media, entertainment, even business, the game has changed. To capture our eyes and ears, the strategy is simple—stir things up, rile people, scare them. It works. Fear diverts attention from what truly matters because when we're afraid, our thinking becomes dulled and ineffective.

Looking inward, best starts with the realization that “yes, s**t happens,” about which I have little to say, however in all things I still have choice.

The true power of accountability lies in recognizing that the moment we become aware of it, we are at the center of our universe. In more practical terms, anything that happens in “my world” is something I have some accountability for. At the very least, I am accountable for how I choose to respond.

It’s not that performance-enhancing drugs are uncommon among athletes; it’s just that it’s only unacceptable if you get caught. Where am I going with this? It’s about how much our language creates reality — both for us individually and collectively.

It seems no matter how long or well we think we know something or someone, our knowing is little more than a perception of our own fabrication.

No matter what perspective you want to examine life from…personal, business, societal, global it means we are not alone, nor will we survive alone. Our individuality is as individual as the arms of an octopus.

During the last administration, in a particular period of rather nasty and heated political back and forth, I found myself thinking, “Whatever happened to decency?” The politics of nasty now has a solid footing.

Every breakdown is a function of a conversation not had. The biggest mistake is resisting the resistance.

Discover the transformative power of compassion and decency—learn how removing unnecessary tension can not only enhance your personal well-being but also elevate your professional success in surprising ways!

I recently picked up a book titled "The Social Lives of Animals" by Ashley Ward. The cover flap informed me that "a rat will go out of its way to help a stranger, Vampire Bats will share their food with another who does not have any, and ants farm aphids in cooperatives." I bought the book.

When we talk about decency and the economics of business, we are talking about the same thing. I am saying that we, you and I, we all want peace, we all want decency.

I will admit, my intelligent brain could absorb this, but my emotional rationale struggled. Not unlike… “Do you believe in ghosts, flying saucers, or life on other planets…” radical to absurd questions when I was growing up, easily got you laughed out of the room.

If most businesses had this kind of result from their clients, they would be top performers.

We get up in the morning, clean up for work (at least pre-COVID), down some coffee, brace ourselves, and head out the door. It has become so routine we do not notice. In some ways, it started back in grade school… walking out the door with a mental “showtime!”. We slapped our game faces on and headed to school.

In 45 years, I have found that most breakdowns in business can be traced to an absence of authenticity…

We tend to set goals based on who we think should be, what we should be achieving rather than taking an internal look to ask, “Does this outcome excite me?”

It does not take a great work culture to succeed in business, but if you value a culture built on decency and engagement, here’s what it takes…

You probably do business with people you like, and you like them because of the way they treat you. How you are treated reflects how that business treats the people who work there…

I get at least six emails a week telling me that the sender has the “magic formula” to increase our business by 10 times. Does it actually work?

I will start to see a person through a lens that will only reaffirm my point of view. I will often cease to see them in a larger context of possibility or partnership and my interactions with them become limited…