You’ve probably been in meetings that wasted your time.  Not just the idle chatter, or the time spent waiting for tardy attendees but the meetings that are overly long – and don’t enable individuals to bond as a team or... More »

Neuroscientist Tania Singer and her team recruited volunteers to play a game. Some were asked to play by the rules. Others were instructed to ignore them. To not play fair. After all participants played the game together, they... More »

I’m a big fan of “Seinfeld”. My favorite episode is titled “The Opposite,” which begins with George’s painful – and obvious – realization that his life is not working. He meets up with Jerry and Elaine... More »

It’s very hard to find an exceptional service experience with all the automation, cost cutting, streamlining, and off-shoring going on in business. But how is the service culture within your organization? “First, Take Good... More »

I vividly remember one day when my daughter Meryl Fé was 8. As was often the case, I was in somewhat of a hurry, and needed to get her moving, out of the house, to the car, and on the road. The more anxious I was about leaving,... More »

Honey, let’s start a business. Many first-time entrepreneurs also happen to be committed couples, and their home is their office.  Here are eight rules of engagement that can help both business and relationship thrive. ... More »

A former client of ours, a marketing executive, used to remind himself and his staff to seek “first to understand, then to be understood.” That sage advice is from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen... More »

We didn’t really know the man. He was just one of our customers and that was good enough for us. Every afternoon he’d come toddling in and the wait staff would fall in behind him as wound his way through the bar and... More »

As I watch political campaigns, national debates, business meetings, and family discussions where the rhetoric and emotion increases while the civility and connection decreases, I see a common thread: failure to stop the discussion... More »

As a college professor some of the most important collaborating work I do is with undergraduate seniors. I lead a professional development course that helps soon-to-be graduates shift out of the academic world. By carefully applying... More »

Many people now pay a psychologist to fill the role a friend used to play.  When we open one of the modules in our interpersonal skills course with this first line, attendees nod, as if struck for the first time with awareness.  ... More »