Do you remember the scene in “Back to the Future” where George McFly musters the courage to punch Biff the bully? He’d just pulled Biff out of the car to stop him from assaulting Lorraine Baines. George and Lorraine’s future son, Marty, had inspired him to take that stand against Biff. Marty knew what was
I almost didn’t write this article. The idea came to me while I was walking my dog, but I didn’t write it down. It could have been gone forever. Fortunately, though, I remembered it later when I was showering — and I made a point to write the idea down as soon as I got out.
Last year, one of my clients was struggling with an employee retention issue that she just couldn’t understand. She was losing some people due to what they described as an “unhealthy work culture.” She was perplexed. “We have always been a family!” she told me. “Being like a family” sounds supportive and nurturing, but…all families
While walking our dog recently, my wife and I started arguing about a very trivial issue. It had something to do with the timing of planting grass seed on our lawn. This is not a hot topic for either of us, yet there we were arguing about when to spread the seed. Later in the
Several years ago, I facilitated an overnight high stakes meeting for a group of executives. A week prior to the meeting, one of the executives texted me with demanding questions about his personal sleeping arrangement. Another emailed me with suggestions about our agenda. A third called me to discuss his concern that some of the
You don’t need a sledgehammer to fix a leaky faucet. A tape measure won’t do the job either. It’s the same when it comes to solving problems and making decisions with others. Being pushy or defensive like a sledgehammer never helps. And remaining quiet and passive, continuously measuring up others and the topic, just won’t
In August 1921, an athletic, healthy 39-year-old man awoke at his family cabin in Maine with a strange ache in his back. Despite trying to shake it off with a swim and a jog, the pain and fatigue increased. Within 48 hours, paralysis set in across his arms and legs. He lost all control of
How often do you have intrusive thoughts? Perhaps they come from: Your inner critic: You’re such an idiot! Catastrophic worries: What if I get sick and die?! Self-consciousness: What do they think of me? Comparison: I don’t measure up. He makes more money than me. Over-focus on the result: I must win! Temptation: Should I
Sometimes we experience alarm signals that aren’t cause for alarm. Every month our city tests its emergency response sirens. It’s just a test. The dryer in our house buzzes several minutes before the clothes are actually dry. Stores fail to remove security tags, triggering alarms when shoppers leave with paid items. The human brain also
Nine years ago this week, I wrote my first post on this site after declaring to my wife in the stands at our sons’ hockey practice that I would become a regular writer. It was a goal that seemed absurd at the time: young kids, busy work schedule, and no strong background or training in
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