Do you believe people are basically good?  I must admit, I used to hold this belief.  You might be thinking ... Marc, what a "glass as half empty" view of humanity.  Please hear me out. First, let's examine us in our natural state as small children.  We want to be feed.  We want to beContinue reading "Myth Buster: People Are Basically Good"

I've recently learned something from Joseph Grenny, a leading social scientist for business performance: There are six sources of influence that are either working for you or against you, You can profoundly change the way you feel about any choice by changing the frame of the decision, and Change requires both motivation and skill. ForContinue reading "Tender Heart, Tough Hide"

Every person is worthy of respect.  Stable families and societies are built on respect.  Husbands are called to respect wives.  Wives are called to respect husbands.  We are commanded to honor our parents and respect civil authority.  No one is exempt.  We are asked to show proper respect to everyone regardless of their beliefs orContinue reading "R-E-S-P-E-C-T"

As I get older and more empathetic, my sensors for detecting insincerity are maturing.  And the second I detect it, my guard goes up.  I immediately become skeptical about anything that is said after that moment.  Even with the benefit of the doubt, I question their motive.  To the extreme, I completely distrust everything theyContinue reading "People Don’t Care What You Know Until They Know That You Care"

That's my grandfather and my son, 94 and 14 years of age, respectively.  Yes, that's a delta of 80.  On this Father's Day, I'm going to have the pleasure of eating dinner with both of them.  I am thankful to have that opportunity. My pap is veteran of the Second World War.  He was in theContinue reading "My Pap, Happy and Likable"

boot·strap·ping. 1.    to help oneself without the aid of others; using one's own resources. She spent years bootstrapping herself through college. 2.    to succeed only by one's own efforts or abilities. I admire him for pulling himself up by his own bootstraps. In today's team-based cultures, we can't lose sight of the needContinue reading "Bootstrapping"

Contrary to popular belief, I subscribe to the notion that geniuses are made not born.  Becoming a genius is within your reach, no matter your race, gender, color, creed or social status. Geniuses learn their actions open up opportunity.  They understand their job is to solve interesting problems and to lead.  They are generously persistent,Continue reading "Prune Yourself into a Genius"

Natural does not mean good.  We have many desires that feel natural, however if we act on those desires, the end result could hurt ourselves or others.  Call them what you want ... compulsions, habits, lusts, drives, desires, or attractions ... they make you feel like you have no choice but to do them.  YouContinue reading "Just Say No"

AI is all the buzz today.  My guess is that many people use the term without truly understanding what it means.  AI is nebulous, mystical, sexy.  Much sexier than the phrases Big Data or Big Data 2.0. AI stands for artificial intelligence.  It is simply a different way to look at data using very fast,Continue reading "The Other AI"

In American football, there is a position called an H-back.  The position was created by Coach Joe Gibbs when he was head coach of the Washington Redskins from 1981 to 1992 as a direct response to the Lawrence Taylor era of the New York Giants.  Taylor was a dominant linebacker at the time.  Offensive formations that utilizeContinue reading "H-Back"