The past month has been a whirlwind with our twin boys graduating from high school. Amidst the endings and celebrations, my wife and I have reflected on our boys’ level of preparedness for greater independence. Specifically, we wondered how ready they are to elevate their executive function to make decisions and demonstrate reliability on their
“I don’t know how I’m going to get through this week,” I bemoaned to my wife recently. The demands on my schedule were surging. The week was stacked with back-to-back meetings, travel, and obligations. As I mentally scanned the mountain of tasks ahead of me, the load felt incredibly heavy. Then I stopped and engaged
The all-girls chorus sang first in our recent high school choir concert. Their voices were beautiful as they harmonized in unity. If you closed your eyes, you’d think they were angels. But seeing them made me think that they probably didn’t all view themselves as angels. Do you know what someone looks like when they
Every Sunday through Friday night for 11 hours starting at 8:30 pm, and every Saturday for 24 hours starting at 12:00 pm, I refrain from taking part in what I call The Four Horsemen of Reactivity: Productivity: Getting items checked off my to-do list Achievement: Finding ways to accumulate and win Measuring Up: Engaging my
A manufacturing client of mine has been struggling to get their shift supervisors to think long-term. It seems like all they can do is keep their head above water. From their perspective, many of the supervisors feel pressured on metrics like “on-time shipping” and “labor rates.” As a result, they mainly focus on the output
This fall, I owned up to it. I’d been neglecting two of my work responsibilities. They’re the kind that are easy to neglect, though that doesn’t mean they’re unimportant. Still, I can push them off for months and nobody calls me on it. Meanwhile, the neglect bothers me. A subtle voice regularly reminds me that,
We were worried entering this summer that we didn’t have enough activity scheduled for our kids. And yet, it turned out to be one of the best summers for our family…in large part because it was so unscheduled. We ended up filling the unscheduled time with great spontaneity and connection. In a similar way, I
Any coach or educator knows that growth varies by person. Adult training programs, for example, receive a range of ratings on learner impact. Same trainer, same content, different outcomes. As for why this variability occurs, a number of reasons have been given, and some of them have been proven to be false. For instance, some
Over the holidays, I observed many people on work calls during their “time off.” Family members and friends often watched and waited, or just went off on their own. One daughter mindlessly scrolled her phone while she waited for her dad to finish his call, pausing every five minutes to signal her impatience. A friend
In the classic story The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway vividly depicts struggle and suffering. The old fisherman tirelessly battles for days to catch an enormous marlin, only to then fight sharks that would go on to ravage the prized catch. Being old, alone, and at sea, he frequently feels too tired to
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE