A few nights ago, a neighbor boy gave a box turtle to one of my sons. I suppose his mom said he couldn’t keep him and he figured my son would have more luck at our house, The House of Many Pets. However, contrary to popular opinion, I DO NOT keep every stray animal that […]
Just Say No to Snapping Turtles Read More »
My son raised his hand. “I think our mascot should be the narwhal.” “The narwhal? Now that’s an interesting idea,” Kari Miller, the new principal of a future local middle school, smiled. I try to picture a logo sporting a whale with a 9-foot overgrown canine tooth and realize there’s a risk to being an inclusive leader-
Inclusive Leadership & the Narwhal Read More »
Like many of us, I have a “mobile office.” That means I might meet a client at a coffee shop to design a killer keynote, in his or her office to rehearse a presentation, or on Skype from home to work on improving communication skills. But when I have a particularly “high-profile” client, I rent
Embarrassing Moments: Have Plant, Will Travel Read More »
I have always been terrified of tough conversations. Well, I say ALWAYS, but honestly, I don’t think any of us are terrified of tough conversations as kids, because we don’t yet know what a “tough conversation” is. Which is why my kids can very confidently announce to a sibling, “I’m not inviting you to my birthday
How do Tough Conversations Make You Feel? Read More »
It’s dangerous to have an open-door policy. Not to mention messy. I spy a pair of dirty, yellow socks under the couch in the living room and pop them into the washing machine with another load of clothes, then set a lonely tennis shoe on the front porch and pick up the granola bar wrappers
Neighborhood Kids & the Danger of an Open-Door Policy Read More »
(To listen to my audio recording of this post, click on the white triangle below) A client remarked offhandedly in a rehearsal session yesterday, “When I actually give my talk, I’ll embellish that part of the story.” I laughed sarcastically, “Yeah! You could say you were hit by enemy fire!” I’m a public speaking coach. I
2 Things We Can Learn From Brian Williams Read More »
On the morning of my third son’s 8th birthday, he was determined to get rid of the old to make room for the new. It was a painful process, fraught with stops and starts, tenacity and even…blood. Eek! But then, for many of us, the process of getting rid of the old to make room for the
Out With the Old, In With the New Read More »
(Listen to the audio recording of this post by clicking on the bar above) Even if you didn’t see the opening scene to Dumb and Dumber 2, I think we can all agree that pretending you’re insane for 20 years is just plain…dumb. But then, it’s supposed to be. Our smartphones, on the other hand, are
How Our Smartphones Make us Dumb- and Dumber Read More »
Last week I spoke at the Global Summit on “Symbolic Power.” Sounds heady. But it’s really simple. Take a trip with me through a few of my favorite symbols… Symbols: God-given elements of communication that we can use to represent something deeper- to create a link between the physical and spiritual worlds to point to Jesus. Like
Good character. It’s gotta start somewhere. This week, as we honor the lives of our Veterans, I’m struck by the character of those like my uncle Lance and my brother-in-law Todd who have been willing to serve our country. Courageous, loyal, sacrificial team-players, proudly fighting to protect the red-white-and blue so that we can live
How to Persuade Good Character in Our Kids for the Future of America Read More »