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The Clarity Challenge

I’ve been doing an official experiment over the past year with client teams. I ask a simple question, one for which everyone thinks there is a clear, simple, and straightforward answer, one which it would only make sense that every employee could answer quickly and definitively. The question:  What time is on time? In other words, what is the exact …

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You ARE the Traffic

I was frustrated and stopped in what seemed like endless traffic on a crowded LA freeway when I looked up to read a billboard that said, “You ARE the traffic.”  The truth of the simple statement took a moment to register, and then it made me smile. It was a funny little reminder that while we are looking out at …

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Today’s Buffet

We didn’t go out to eat much when I was young. I grew up out in the piney woods of southeast Texas, and there weren’t many restaurant choices in my tiny hometown. But, when my mother would go “into town” for shopping, we would often have lunch at a buffet restaurant called Luby’s. It was always a treat! As a …

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The Secret Weapon

Over the holidays, I was introduced to an Asian comedian, Ken Jeong Tran, being interviewed on a talk show about her recent and highly successful comedy tour. During the interview, the host showed several clips of her hilarious performances at live events in Las Vegas, New York, and Los Angeles, but he also showed a clip of her failing in …

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Traditions

Since the beginning, humans have created reoccurring ceremonies and traditions that help us recall important moments in our history, signify significant rites of passage, and celebrate things which unite and bond us. Since I was a child, I have always loved traditions. Growing up in the Episcopal faith, I loved the seasons of the church calendar marked by different alter …

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Human Nature vs. Human Skill

It’s human nature to get frustrated. It’s a human skill to find the calm within. It’s human nature to feel angry. It’s a human skill to master your emotions. It’s human nature to fail. It’s a human skill to try again. We are human beings with all the genius and idiocy that brings with it. Similar to the age old …

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An Instrument of Peace

I’m not Catholic, but I love many of the beautiful traditions of the Catholic faith. My favorite is the lovely story and mythology surrounding the 13th century Italian Saint Francis of Assisi, the church’s patron saint of animals. My mother always had some stone version of St. Francis in her flower gardens, usually surrounded by bird feeders and birdbaths. Often the …

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The Q-1 Reset

January 1st is just another ordinary day, like any other of the 365 days of the year. There is absolutely nothing concrete that gives it any more meaning than any other day. And yet, somehow, it is different. It wields a powerful energy across the western world of rebirth, renewal, and re-commitment. I know it’s essentially arbitrary, something that our …

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Real Rest

“What are you doing?” asked my husband when he walked outside and saw me sitting in a patio chair. “Nothing,” I replied, “but I feel like I should be doing something.” “Then you’re not really doing nothing. You’re worrying about doing nothing.” Sometimes, he nails me. It was truly a rare sight for him because I’m in the habit of …

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Do Their Opinions Matter?

“I really don’t care if they disagree with this new policy. This is my company, and I’m in charge of making sure we are profitable, secure, and growing. It’s my responsibility to make these decisions, and this is what I need them to do.” This is true. The owner and C-Suite execs are in charge of making sure the company …